The Tampa Bay Lightning (28-15-4) head to Bell MTS Place for an 8 p.m. ET puck drop Friday against the Winnipeg Jets (25-18-4). We analyze the Lightning-Jets sports betting odds and lines, while providing NHL betting tips and picks around this matchup.
Lightning at Jets: Projected starting goalies
Andrei Vasilevskiy vs. Connor Hellebuyck
The Lightning saved Vasilevskiy for the second half of their back-to-back, as backup Curtis McElhinney drew the start Thursday and took a 3-2 loss against the Minnesota Wild. Vasy has won nine straight games and has a .916 save percentage and 2.58 goals against average for the season.
Hellebuyck is 3-1-1 across his last five games. He’s 21-13-4 for the season with a .923 SV% and 2.57 GAA while leading the league with four shutouts. He has faced a league-high 1,208 shots and has made 1,115 saves through 39 games played (37 starts).
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Lightning at Jets: Odds, picks and betting tips
Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access them at USA TODAY Sports for a full set of today’s betting odds. Odds last updated Friday at 12:45 p.m. ET.
Prediction
Lightning 4, Jets 1
Moneyline (ML)
The LIGHTNING (-139) are the team to back as Vasilevskiy returns to the crease. Tampa Bay has lost back-to-back games just once since the start of December (Dec. 19 and 21) and McElhinney was in net for each of the team’s last three losses. The Lightning are 8-2 across their last 10 games and 13-8-2 on the road for the season.
The Jets (+115) have been off since a 4-0 win over the Vancouver Canucks Tuesday. They’re 4-4-2 across their last 10 and a lackluster 11-10-2 at home for the season.
New to sports betting? A $10 bet on the Lightning to win in regulation, overtime or a shootout returns a profit of $7.20.
Puck Line/Against the Spread (ATS)
Double down on the visitors and back the LIGHTNING (-1.5, +160) to win by at least 2 goals for a better return on your investment. The Jets, one of the league’s top home teams over the last several seasons, are 27-20 against the spread overall but just 9-14 at home.
Over/Under (O/U)
Take the UNDER 5.5 (+125) in a strong goaltending matchup. Due to the low odds, it’ll be best to parlay the Under with the Lightning moneyline.
Tampa Bay is 4-6 against the Over/Under across its last 10 games and Winnipeg is 5-5.
Esten’s NHL betting record: 167-157
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