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The Nashville Predators and the Tampa Bay Lightning open the 2023-24 National Hockey League regular season Tuesday at Amalie Arena in Tampa. Puck drop is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. ET (ESPN/ESPN+). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Predators vs. Lightning odds, and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
The Predators figure to be a little more higher scoring under new coach Andrew Brunette, as opposed to previous regimes which had a more defensive-first approach. The team added C Ryan O’Reilly in the offseason, as well as D Luke Schenn.
The Lightning will be without G Andrei Vasilevskiy until perhaps around Thanksgiving (in the U.S., not Canada). He is recovering from back surgery, so Tampa Bay will have a different look in the 1st 6-8 weeks of the season.
Tampa Bay swept the regular-season series in 2022-23, and it has won 4 straight meetings in the series, all as a favorite, although it is just 2-2 on the puck line in that span. The Over-Under has alternated in the past 6 meetings. The Over is 3-1 in the past 4 battles in Tampa.
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Predators at Lightning odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 12:23 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Predators +135 (bet $100 to win $135) | Lightning -160 (bet $160 to win $100)
- Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Predators +1.5 (-175) | Lightning -1.5 (+145)
- Over/Under (O/U): 6.5 (O: +100 | U: -120)
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Predators at Lightning projected goalies
Juuse Saros (33-23-7, 2.69 GAA, .919 SV%, 2 SO – 2022-23) vs. Jonas Johansson (2-0-0, 2.10 GAA, .932 SV% – 2022-23 w/Avalanche)
Saros faced the Lightning in both regular-season meetings in 2022-23, going 0-1-1 with a 3.99 GAA and .889 SV% in the 2 starts, and he was 0-2-0 with a 5.39 GAA and .837 SV% in 2 starts against the Lightning in 2021-22. His last win against Tampa Bay came April 13, 2021, in “The Bubble” in front of zero fans.
Johansson last faced the Predators on Nov. 27, 2021, as a member of the Florida Panthers, kicking aside 26 of the 28 shots he faced in Sunrise that night. He is expected to do much of the heavy lifting until Vasilevskiy is healthy enough to return after back surgery.
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Predators at Lightning picks and predictions
Prediction
Lightning 4, Predators 3
Moneyline
The LIGHTNING (-160) are a little pricey on the moneyline, but it’s a price worth paying in the home opener. Yes, it will be difficult without Vasilevskiy, but the truth of the matter is that he had a down season last year, and he started out really slow. Perhaps Johansson will benefit from a tremendous offense in front of him.
The Predators (+135) should be improved offensively, but this is still a team which will be clawing to get into one of the final postseason spots. It isn’t a marquee team, and they’re lacking in depth, with a solid top-6 forward group, and a rather margin bottom-6 assortment.
Puck line/Against the spread
The Predators +1.5 (-175) are a little pricey on the puck line. And it isn’t a great play if you would like a little insurance, as Nashville has lost by 3 or more goals in all 3 of its losses in the past 4 games in Tampa.
For early-season games, I might be inclined to play the favorite on the puck line, but this is a rather high price, especially since it could easily be ruined by a late empty-net goal.
AVOID.
Over/Under
OVER 6.5 (+100) is worth playing lightly at even-money.
Saros struggled mightily against the Lightning last season, and Johansson was limited to just 2 starts and 3 appearances at the NHL level last season, so he is a bit of a wild-card here. The Over is 3-1 in the past 4 meetings between these teams at Amalie Arena, so go high and play a half-unit at best.
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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
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