TGBIF: Thank Gary Bettman it’s Friday. The schedule makers are treating us to a few juicy matchups tonight but my personal favorite is the Lightning vs the Penguins. Both teams are in situations they’re not used to – with the Pens on a two-game losing streak and the Lightning on a two-game winning streak – but given how Pittsburgh has defended the PPG Paints Arena this season, those streaks are both in jeopardy.
- The Penguins are 25-4-3 on home ice this season.
- The total has gone OVER in 6 of the Lightning's last 7 games against the Penguins.
- The Penguins are 11-1 SU in their last 12 games after consecutive losses.
Although the tuxedo birds are still pretty banged up on the back end, their offense should make up for whatever shortcomings they have defensively. The Penguins are averaging 3.88 goals and 33.9 shots per game on their home ice this year so if Matt Murray can keep up his .929 home save percentage, they should be all right.
That said, the Lightning are hot-fire right now and Nikita Kucherov is unstoppable. The Russian winger now has 61 points for the campaign after a 12-point outburst in his team’s last four games, during which the 23-year-old is shooting the puck at a ridiculous 31.6 percent conversion rate.
Kuch is a must-play in fantasy tonight and I think the OVER is as well. In Pittsburgh’s last eight home tilts, the OVER has cashed six times and I can see both teams potting three or four this evening.
Sportsbook Odds & Computer Pick
If you're backing the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning in this one, they Lightning listed earlier today as underdogs of 156 at most sportsbooks, including Sportsbook. Those over/under total betting saw the number open in the area of 5.5, depending on the book.
Prediction-scoring formulas run on this game pick a potential 3.4-1.9 result in favor of the Lightning. View the computer score prediction and who will win the pick on the moneyline for all upcoming NHL matchups here.
Tampa Bay Lightning vs Pittsburgh Penguins Matchup
Team Betting Records & Power Rankings
The Pittsburgh Penguins bring a 38-16-8 record to the battle against the 29-25-8 Lightning. OVER/UNDER bettors have seen Pittsburgh go 37-21-4 so far and the Lightning go 29-26-7. Stay Informed: follow us on Twitter for odds specials, betting line moves and Pittsburgh vs Tampa Bay injuries news.
It's an NHL hockey betting matchup between the No. 3-rated Pittsburgh Penguins and the No. 12-ranked Tampa Bay Lightning, according to the latest NHL power poll here at Odds Shark.
Statistical Matchup
Offensively, the game matches up the Pittsburgh Penguins No. 1-ranked offense (3.45 goals per game) against a Tampa Bay Lightning defense that ranks No. 16 at 2.81 goals per game allowed. The Penguins Sportsbook has clicked at a 21.57% rate while the Lightning have a 80.58% rate on the penalty kill.
Recent Outings Betting Recap
In their last action, Tampa Bay was a 4-3 Sportsbook at home against the Hurricanes. Bettors on Tampa Bay at -205 on the moneyline collected their winnings from that game, while the total score (7) sent OVER bettors home happy as well.
Pittsburgh lost its last outing, a 4-1 result against the Blackhawks on March 01. Bettors who backed the Blackhawks at -133 on the moneyline won on the day, and the total score (5) sent UNDER bettors to the payout window.
- Tampa Bay is 6-3 ATS in its last 9 games
- Tampa Bay is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
- Tampa Bay is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
- Tampa Bay is 5-16 SU in its last 21 games on the road
- Pittsburgh is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
- The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 6 games
- Pittsburgh is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games at home
- Pittsburgh is 18-4 SU in its last 22 games at home
Next Betting Matchups
Tampa Bay at Buffalo, Saturday, March 4th
Pittsburgh home to Buffalo, Sunday, March 5th
