Lightning Look To Tune Up Blues In St. Louis

Two teams trending in opposite directions meet as the struggling St. Louis Blues (11-7-3) host the Tampa Bay Lightning (12-5-3) on Tuesday night in the first matchup between these teams in 734 days. The Blues are hoping they can continue their dominance against the defending Stanley Cup champions, having won the last four head-to-head meetings. 

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

This one opened as a pick’em with both teams paying -111. The total opened at 5.5, with early money leaning to the UNDER for this matchup featuring the Stanley Cup champion from each of the past three years. The Blues have won 17 of 21 all-time games at home against the Lightning.  

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Tampa Bay News and Notes

Despite losing their most recent contest, the Lightning are on a roll with points in 12 of their last 14 games. What’s even more impressive is that they are doing it without star forwards Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point. Kucherov has played only three games this season, while Point has missed the team’s last four contests.

Both are expected to be out until around Christmas. But it’s worth pointing out that since November 30, 2018, Tampa Bay is 48-21-6 without Kucherov in the lineup. And the Bolts are 3-1 so far this year in games in which both stars have been sidelined.  

Captain Steven Stamkos has picked up the load in their absence, leading the team with 24 points in 20 games. Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy is also rounding into form with two shutouts in his last three starts. 

St. Louis News and Notes

After a torrid start, the Blues have cooled off, winning just three of their last 10 games. But offense hasn’t been an issue, with the team averaging 3.33 goals per game, thanks in part to a power play that sits second in the league (behind only the Oilers’ potent PP) at nearly 30 percent. 

Jordan Kyrou has been a pleasant surprise in just his second full season, averaging over a point a game. And offseason addition Pavel Buchnevich is starting to heat up with six points in his last three games.  

David Perron is expected to miss his second straight game with an upper-body injury.

How Tampa Bay Will Win

The Lightning can leave St. Louis with a rare two points if they continue to get scoring from some of their veteran leaders. After registering just one point in his first 16 games as a Bolt, Corey Perry has points in four straight contests, while Pat Maroon has found the scoresheet in three of his last five games.   

How St. Louis Will Win

The Blues are getting offensive contributions from a variety of players, thanks in large part to their power-play success. But they will need more production from captain Ryan O’Reilly and Brayden Schenn if they want to beat teams like the Lightning. O’Reilly has just one goal in his last 12 games. 

Computer Pick: Lightning -105

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