NHL Best Bets: Predators vs. Lightning Game Picks

Two teams playing strong hockey in December will collide tonight, with the Nashville Predators paying a visit to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

All Odds Courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

Nashville Predators (+146) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (-182) Total: 6.5 (O -105, U -118) 

The visiting Predators will enter with three straight victories and a 7-2-1 record over their last ten games, while the Lightning are 7-3 over that same sample size. The Preds always seem to be a bubble team, while the Lightning again have Stanley Cup aspirations after playing in the big series for three straight years. 

Nashville has been doing a great job of finding ways to win games. The Lightning are tough opposition, but it’s hard to find value in their moneyline price of -182 compared to the Predators’ +146. 

Looking at the expected goalie matchup, the Predators are expected to continue leaning on Juuse Saros, while the Lightning will start Brian Elliott. The Preds netminder has a 9-6-2 record with a .909 save percentage, while Elliott is 6-5-1 with a .886 save percentage. Both goalies should have better numbers with what they’re capable of, so don’t be surprised if there’s another low-scoring affair here. 

As we mentioned above, the Preds are on a hot streak and are presenting value in this game against the Lightning. It’s not hard to like the price for them on the moneyline, so there’s reason to back the visitors at their current odds. 

Best Bet: Predators moneyline (+146) 

We’ve already witnessed these two teams play a tight-knit 3-2 overtime affair earlier this year, so there’s merit in expecting fewer goals to be scored. The Lightning have slowly been cutting down the amount of goals teams are scoring against them, while the same can be about the Predators. Despite a fair amount of offensive talent on these rosters, there’s more value in looking toward a lower-scoring affair. The total is set at 6.5, with the over at -105 and the under at -118. That should give bettors some confidence in looking towards the under.

Best Bet: Under 6.5 (-118)

Even though we’re looking at the Predators winning on the road, there’s still some value with some Lightning players to score. The player that stands out right now is Lightning captain Steven Stamkos, who leads the team with four goals over their last five games, tallying 14 in his first 25 games. The Preds have been solid defensively, but Stamkos scored the overtime winner when these teams collided earlier. As a result, there’s some definite value in looking at him to light the lamp tonight at +146. 

Best Prop: Steven Stamkos to Record Over 0.5 Goals (+146)