The Washington Capitals and the Tampa Bay Lightning square off in Eastern Conference round-robin action Monday at 4 p.m. ET at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. We analyze the Capitals-Lightning NHL betting odds and lines, with picks and best bets.
Capitals vs. Lightning: Projected starting goalies
Braden Holtby vs. Andrei Vasilevskiy
Holtby posted a 25-14-6 record with a 3.11 goals against average and .897 save percentage across 48 games (47 starts). With rookie backup Ilya Samsonov injured in Russia during the break, suffering an undisclosed ailment, Vitek Vanecek will serve as the understudy for now. That means Holtby will do a majority of the heavy lifting for the Caps. That’s bad news for the Lightning, as Holtby went 2-0-0 with a 1.95 GAA and .930 SV% in two regular-season starts.
Vasilevskiy was in the midst of another outstanding season, going 35-14-3 with a 2.56 GAA and .917 SV% over 52 starts while posting three shutouts. While those numbers are outstanding, he went just 0-1-1 with a 3.98 GAA and .882 SV% in his two regular-season showings against the Caps.
The NHL is back! Get some action with a bet at BetMGM in NJ, IN, CO and WV. Bet now!
Capitals vs. Lightning: Odds, picks and betting tips
Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access them at USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Odds last updated Sunday at 11 p.m. ET.
Prediction
Capitals 4, Lightning 3
Moneyline (ML)
The CAPITALS (+120) are a very attractive option at plus-money given Holtby’s strong play against the Lightning (-143) this season, and Vasilevskiy’s struggles against the Caps, albeit a small sample size. In addition, the Caps have won four consecutive meetings with the Lightning, and Washington also doesn’t take too kindly to being an underdog. They have won 10 of their past 13 as dogs.
New to sports betting? A winning $10 bet on the Capitals to win returns a profit of $12, while a $10 wager on the Lightning results in a profit of $7.
Puck Line/Against the Spread (ATS)
The Capitals (+1.5, -223) are just too much chalk on the puck line. If you like the Caps to win, just take them straight up on the moneyline. It’s much less of a risk. If you’re feeling the Lightning (-1.5, +180), despite Vasilevskiy’s struggles against the Caps this season, they’re the better value here. Personally, it’s not for me, and I rarely play puck lines unless backing an overwhelming favorite I really like. That isn’t the case here. AVOID.
Over/Under (O/U)
Over 6.5 (-110) is OK. Or you can roll with Over 5.5 (-150), but it will cost more juice. Inestead, let’s BET the alternate line of OVER 6 (-121). The Over has hit in 22 of the past 27 for Washington against teams with a winning record, and is 9-3 in the past 12 for the Caps as a dog. The Over has also hit in nine of the previous 12 for the Lightning. In addition, these teams hit the Over in five of their previous six meetings.
Want some action in this one? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.
Follow @JoeWilliamsVI on Twitter. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter, and like us on Facebook.
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]