The Tampa Bay Lightning (7-5-1) and Washington Capitals (6-7-2) meet Friday at Capital One Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET (NHL Network). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Lightning vs. Capitals odds, and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
The Lightning were tripped up 3-2 at home against the Edmonton Oilers Tuesday, ending a 4-game homestand at 2-1-1. This is a 2-game, 3-day home-and-home. Tampa Bay has won 3 of the past 4 meetings in this series dating back to Aug. 3, 2020.
The Capitals were dumped 4-1 against the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins last time out on Wednesday, and are now in the midst of a 1-3-2 skid dating back to Oct. 31. Washington has cashed the Under in 7 of the past 8 games overall.
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Lightning at Capitals odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 7:08 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Lightning -135 (bet $135 to win $100) | Capitals +110 (bet $100 to win $110)
- Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Lightning -1.5 (+160) | Capitals +1.5 (-200)
- Over/Under (O/U): 6.5 (O: -101 | U: -120)
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Lightning at Capitals projected goalies
Andrei Vasilevskiy (4-4-1, 2.90 GAA, .910 SV%) vs. Darcy Kuemper (4-6-1, 2.47 GAA, .916 SV%, 1 SO)
Vasilevskiy has allowed 3 goals in 4 straight outings, but that hasn’t been quite good enough lately. He has looked very mortal, especially in November, going 1-1-1 with a 2.96 GAA and .909 SV%. He has a 2.51 GAA and .919 SV% across 374 games in his career, and he has yet to post a shutout this season.
Kuemper, a Stanley Cup champ with the Avalanche last season, is also struggling lately. He is 0-3-0 in 3 starts in November, logging a 2.70 GAA and .897 SV%. Offensive support has been a problem, as the Caps have provided him with just 4 total goals of support in those 3 outings.
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Lightning at Capitals picks and predictions
Prediction
Lightning 4, Capitals 2
Moneyline
The LIGHTNING (-135) are moderate favorites with a little risk, and it is suggested you only go as high as a half-unit here.
Tampa Bay has alternated wins and losses in each of the past 4 outings, and it just doesn’t seem to be hitting on all cylinders at any point this season. The Lightning haven’t won by more than 2 goals since Oct. 14 at the Columbus Blue Jackets, the second game of their campaign.
Puck line/Against the spread
See above. The LIGHTNING -1.5 (+160) is worth playing because the Capitals have been so bad lately. However, Tampa Bay has been favored 9 times this season, and it has covered the puck line as a favorite in just 4 of those outings.
Play this very lightly, as you’re mostly playing this puck line based on the impotence of the Washington offense lately, and not the dominance of Tampa.
Over/Under
UNDER 6.5 (-120) might be the best play on the board in this game.
The Over is 4-1 in the past 5 games overall for Tampa Bay, but the Under has cashed in 7 of the past 8 games overall for Washington while going 5-2 in its past 7 against Eastern Conference foes. In addition, the Under has hit in 4 of the past 5 games in this series, too.
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