The Tampa Bay Lightning and the first-year-franchise Vegas Golden Knights take the ice at Amalie Arena in an East-West tilt. It’s the second time these teams have met in the regular season. The action gets started at 7:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, January 18, and it can be viewed live on AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain.
Vegas Golden Knights vs. Tampa Bay Lightning Odds
With a moneyline of -185, Tampa Bay heads into the game as the heavy favorite. The line for Vegas sits at +160, and the oddsmakers have put the Over/Under (O/U) at an even 6 goals (-120 to bet the under, +100 for the over). Those O/U odds have moved after originally opening at -105 over, -115 under.
Tampa Bay is 31-13 straight up (SU) and has earned moneyline bettors 10.8 units this season. That win percentage, ranked first in the NHL so far in this young season, is a solid improvement compared to what the team managed during last year’s regular season (42-40). Among the team’s 44 games this season, 26 have gone over the total, while 18 have gone under and none have pushed. The team’s 17-5 SU at home this season.
The Lightning have connected on 24.4 percent of their power play chances this year, a mark that places them in the top-5 among NHL teams. On the other hand, their penalty kill is ranked 23rd overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 79.3 percent of all penalties.
As a collective unit, the Lightning have been called for penalties 4.1 times per game overall this season, 4.0 per game over their past five outings total, and 4.4 per game over their last five at home. The team has been forced to kill penalties for 9.4 minutes per contest over their last five home games.
Averaging 28.4 saves per game with a .930 save percentage, Andrei Vasilevskiy (27-10-2) has been the top option in goal for the Bolts this season. If the Bolts, however, choose to rest him, head coach Jon Cooper might roll with Louis Domingue (1-7-7 record, .870 save percentage, 4.02 goals against average).
The Bolts will continue seeking offensive production from Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos. Kucherov (60 points) has produced 27 goals and 33 assists and has recorded multiple points in 20 different games this year. Stamkos has 17 goals and 35 assists to his name and has recorded at least one point in 30 contests.
Vegas is 29-14 straight up (SU) and has earned moneyline bettors 18.8 units this season. Through 43 regular season matches, 23 of its games have gone over the total, while 18 have gone under and just two have pushed. The Golden Knights are 11-10 SU as the road team this season.
The Golden Knights have converted on 17.6 percent of their power play opportunities this season, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 10th overall and it’s successfully killed off 82.8 percent of all penalties.
Vegas’ skaters have been penalized only 3.3 times per game this season, and 2.2 per game over their last five on the road. The team’s had to stave off opponent power plays just 5.8 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Marc-Andre Fleury (29.8 saves per game) has been the primary option in the net for Vegas. Fleury has nine wins, five losses, and two overtime losses to his credit, while registering a .943 save percentage and 1.77 goals against average this year.
Jonathan Marchessault (16 goals, 25 assists) has been one of the primary offensive facilitators for the visiting Golden Knights.
Vegas Golden Knights at Tampa Bay Lightning Betting Predictions
Predictions: SU Winner – Lightning, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Notes
Eight of Tampa Bay’s last ten games have been decided by two or more goals. The club is 5-3 overall in those games.
Power-play opportunities could prove to be even more critical than usual in tonight’s matchup. The Golden Knights are 11-6 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 21-10 in games where they serve fewer than 10 penalty minutes, in total. The Lightning are 18-6 when the team serves fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 17-6 in games where total penalty minutes are in the single digits.
Vegas is 2-2 in games decided by a shootout this season while Tampa Bay is 2-2 in shootouts.
The over has hit in four of Tampa Bay’s last five outings.
Tampa Bay has averaged 6.8 giveaways over its last five home games, an improvement from its season average of 8.5 giveaways per game (ranked 10th overall).
Vegas has averaged 6.0 giveaways over its last five home games, an improvement from its season average of 9.9 giveaways per game (ranked 18th in the league).
