There is rarely any time for rest in the grueling 82-game NHL season, wo while many residents in the United States are enjoying a national holiday, a number of teams in the NHL will be donning the skates and heading out to work. We are at the stage of the season when players will be beginning to get tired and will be carrying some niggling injuries. It’s all part of the process of winning a Stanley Cup, though, so they will all be battling through it as they chase the ultimate prize. On Monday night, we have a fantastic matchup set to go, with the high-flying Tampa Bay Lightning heading out west to face the Colorado Avalanche. This is a pair of teams who are definitely going to be a part of the postseason this year, with both teams likely to enter the playoffs among the favorites to win it all. It might even be possible that we are looking at a potential Stanley Cup matchup with this one. The Lightning are on the road, but the bookies still have them favored by 1 ½ on Monday night, with the goal total set at 6. Let’s see how the NHL betting odds will be for the Lightning vs Avalanche.
Lightning vs Avalanche Game Info & Betting Odds
- When: Monday, February 17 at 9 PM EST
- Where: Pepsi Center, Denver
- NHL Odds: Lightning -1.5 / Total 6
Why bet on the Tampa Bay Lightning
After a slow start, the Tampa Bay Lightning are now in the hunt to win their second consecutive President’s Trophy, although there are some who would consider that more of a curse than a blessing. The Lightning won it last year after posting the best regular season record in the NHL, but an opening round exit in the playoffs made them the 6th straight team to be bounced in the postseason after having a killer regular season. The Lightning are now 39-15-5 on the season, with their 83 points leaving them just 3 back of the Boston Bruins for top spot. Tampa is on an incredible run at the moment, as they have now won 10 straight games. On the road this season, they are 19-8-3, while going 13-6-3 overall in games against teams from the West.
Team Stats
Offense- Goals: 3.58
- Shots: 31.42
- PP/PK Percentage: 23.2
- Goals: 2.64
- Shots: 30.9
- PP/PK Percentage: 16.4
Why bet on the Colorado Avalanche
The Avalanche are one of the few teams to take down the Lightning this season, beating them 6-2 way back in October. It was an impressive win, but it also came at a time when Tampa were struggling to find their feet in the early going. Still, the Avalanche have been very good versus teams from the Eastern Conference this season, going 16-6-3 in those outings. The Avs have gone 7-3-0 in their last 10 games, but they are coming into this one on the heels of back to back losses. This is a team that is always tough to beat at home, with their 15-9-4 record this season perhaps a little less impressive than they might have hoped. The Avalanche are just 2 points out of the lead in the Central, so still very much in the division hunt.
Team Stats
Offense- Goals: 3.56
- Shots: 32.93
- PP/PK Percentage: 19.29
- Goals: 2.81
- Shots: 31.86
- PP/PK Percentage: 21.84
Lightning vs Avalanche NHL Betting Trends
- The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Tampa Bay’s last 6 games.
- Tampa Bay are 10-0 SU in their last 10 games.
- Tampa Bay are 5-1 SU in their last 6 games against Colorado.
- Tampa Bay are 5-0 SU in their last 5 games on the road.
- The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Colorado’s last 6 games.
- Colorado are 8-3 SU in their last 11 games.
- The total has gone OVER in 4 of Colorado’s last 5 games against Tampa Bay.
- The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Colorado’s last 7 games at home.
Lightning vs Avalanche Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction
During their 10-game winning streak, the Lightning have surrendered just 16 goals. Combine that with the fact that the UNDER has hit in each of the last 6 games for the Avalanche and you have a game where the UNDER looks like a very good bet.
Tampa Bay Lightning 3 Colorado Avalanche 2
