The Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning square off in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference Second-Round series Monday at 7 p.m. ET at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. We analyze the Bruins-Lightning NHL betting odds and lines, with picks and best bets.
Best-of-seven series: Lightning lead 3-1.
Bruins vs. Lightning: Projected starting goalies
Jaroslav Halak vs. Andrei Vasilevskiy
Halak was a little better in Game 4, but he allowed three goals on 26 shots in another loss as the Lightning pushed the Bruins to the brink of elimination. He slipped to 1-3 with a 3.66 goals against average and .891 save percentage through four games, as he has mostly struggled to shoulder the full load with Tuukka Rask back in Finland due to personal reasons. Halak has shown the ability to get hot over an extended period, rattling off five straight wins from Jan. 21 to Feb. 21. In other words, this series isn’t quite over yet, but Halak needs to get on the ball.
Vasilevskiy allowed just one goal on 30 shots to cruise to another win. He is now 3-1 with a 1.99 GAA and .927 SV% through four games in this series, and he has won six of the past seven starts overall. He has allowed three or fewer goals in 11 of his 12 starts since the restart, so he is in a zone. That’s a good reason the Lightning are poised to move to the Eastern Conference Final. They need just one more win in the next three.
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Bruins vs. Lightning: Odds, picks and betting tips
Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access them at USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Odds last updated at 7:13 a.m. ET.
Prediction
Bruins 3, Lightning 2
Moneyline (ML)
The BRUINS (+100) are worth a roll of the dice at even money. Their backs are against the wall, and they’re unlikely to head home quite yet. The Lightning (-118) have played well, winning three straight games, but the B’s will force at least a Game 6. The B’s are 6-2 in their previous eight as an underdog in the playoffs, and they’re an impressive 12-5 in the past 17 in the fourth game of a 4-in-6 situation, or four games in six days. The underdog is also 6-1 in the past seven meetings in this series.
New to sports betting? A winning $10 bet on the Bruins is even money, returning a profit of $10.
Puck Line/Against the Spread (ATS)
The Lightning (-1.5, +230) have covered the puck line in the past two. The Bruins (+1.5, -286) are going to scratch out a narrow win, perhaps even in overtime. However, AVOID a Bruins’ puck line bet, as it’s just too expensive.
Over/Under (O/U)
UNDER 5.5 (-115) is worth a small-unit wager in this one. The Under hit in Game 4, the first time since the series opener, and it will happen in this one. Look for both sides to be a little tentative early one, as the Bruins won’t want to make any costly mistakes to get in an early hole, and the Lightning won’t want to give Boston any freebies to get back into the series.
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