The St. Louis Blues (14-5-6) visit the Tampa Bay Lightning (12-7-2) Wednesday at Amalie Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET. We analyze the Blues-Lightning sports betting odds and lines, while providing NHL betting tips and picks around this matchup.
Blues at Lightning: Projected starting goalies
Jordan Binnington vs. Andrei Vasilevskiy
Binnington stopped 39 of 42 shots on goal Saturday against the Nashville Predators, but he was charged with his third loss in his last five starts (2-2-1). He is 11-4-4 on the season with a .926 save percentage and a 2.23 goals against average.
Vasilevskiy is rounding into form following an awful start to the season. He allowed just two goals in each of his last three starts and is up to 9-6 through 15 starts. He has a .910 SV% and a 2.82 GAA.
Place a sports bet on this hockey action or other games at BetMGM.
Blues at Lightning: 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 at 9:45 a.m. ET.
Prediction
Blues 3, Lightning 2
Moneyline (ML)
Both teams are missing top stars with Lightning C Steven Stamkos (lower body) and Blues RW Vladimir Tarasenko (shoulder) both sidelined. The reigning Stanley Cup champion BLUES are getting +140 odds on the road, where they’re 7-2-3 on the season. The Lightning (-167) are 6-2-1 on home ice and have won three straight games by margins of at least two goals, but the Blues are getting too much disrespect with these odds.
Both teams are being outshot by an average of two shots per game. The Blues play to a slower pace with fewer shots and goals for and against. Both teams average less than 50% of the total shot attempts at 5-on-5. Binnington has outplayed the reigning Vezina Trophy winner thus far this season, and he makes the Blues the play with the opportunity to turn a $10 bet into a $14 profit.
Puck Line/Against the Spread (ATS)
I like the BLUES (+1.5, -189) to win outright and they’re getting much more favorable odds on the moneyline, but the value is still adequate for a goal of insurance in the event of a loss. St. Louis is 11-14 on the puck line overall but it’s 7-5 on the road. Tampa Bay is 9-12 overall and 5-4 at home.
Over/Under (O/U)
The Lightning have hit the Over in seven of their last 10 games, while the Blues are 2-8 against the Over/Under across the same span. Take the UNDER 6.5 (-154) in a battle of two of the league’s top goaltenders and with a top offensive star sitting out for each side.
Esten’s NHL betting record: 84-71
Want some action in this one? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.
Follow @EstenMcLaren and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.
Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.
[lawrence-newsletter]
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1369]