The New Jersey Devils and the Tampa Bay Lightning battle at Amalie Arena in Game 1 of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The match will get underway at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, April 12, and it will air live on Sportsnet.
New Jersey Devils at Tampa Bay Lightning Odds
With a -215 moneyline, Tampa Bay comes into the contest as the substantial favorite. The line for New Jersey sits at +180, and the oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at an even 6 goals (-130 money on the over, +110 on the under).
Tampa Bay is 54-28 straight up (SU) and has earned 8.0 units for moneyline bettors this year. That win percentage, ranked first in the league so far in this young season, is a solid improvement compared to what the team managed during the 2016-17 season (42-40). Through 82 regular season outings, 49 of the team’s games have gone over the total, while 31 have gone under and just two have pushed. The team’s 29-12 SU at home this year.
The Lightning have converted on 24.0 percent of their power play chances this year, a figure that’s good enough for fourth-best in the NHL. On the other hand, their penalty kill is ranked 28th overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 76.0 percent of all penalties.
The Lightning, as a collective unit, have been called for penalties 4.1 times per game overall this season, and 3.4 per game over their last five home outings. The team has had to defend opposition power plays for just 6.8 minutes per game over their last five home outings.
Averaging 29.4 saves per game with a .920 save percentage, Andrei Vasilevskiy (44-21-3) has been the primary option in goal for the Bolts this year. If Tampa Bay chooses to rest him, however, head coach Jon Cooper might turn to Louis Domingue (7-12-12 record, .894 save percentage, 3.41 goals against average).
Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos will both lead the offensive attack for the Lightning. Kucherov (100 points) has tallied 39 goals and 61 assists and has recorded two or more points in 31 different games this year. Stamkos has 27 goals and 59 assists to his name and has recorded a point in 52 contests.
Over on the other bench, New Jersey is 44-38 straight up (SU) and has netted moneyline bettors 12.9 units this season. A total of 42 of its contests have gone over the total, while 38 have gone under and just two have pushed. The Devils are 21-20 SU as the road team this season.
The Devils have converted on 21.4 percent of their power play opportunities this year, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked eighth overall and it’s successfully killed off 81.8 percent of all penalties.
New Jersey’s skaters have been called for penalties 3.7 times per game in total this season, and 3.0 per game over their last ten games. The team has had to kill penalties just 6.3 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Cory Schneider (2.93 goals against average and .907 save percentage) has been the primary option in goal for New Jersey. Schneider is averaging 27.9 saves per game and has 18 wins, 22 losses, and six OT losses to his credit.
Taylor Hall (39 goals, 54 assists) will pace the attack for the visiting Devils.
New Jersey Devils at Tampa Bay Lightning Betting Picks
Free NHL Pick: SU Winner – Lightning, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Trends
The under has hit in three of Tampa Bay’s last five outings.
57.4 percent of Tampa Bay’s wins have come by two or more goals (the team is 31-17 overall in such games) while 43.2 percent of New Jersey’s wins have come by two goals or more (19-21 overall in such games).
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