The Tampa Bay Lightning and Boston Bruins play Game 4 of their Eastern Conference Second-Round series Saturday at noon ET at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. We analyze the Lightning-Bruins NHL betting odds and lines, with picks and best bets.
Lightning vs. Bruins: Projected starting goalies
Andrei Vasilevskiy vs. Jaroslav Halak
Vasilevskiy coasted to a 7-1 victory in Game 3, allowing just one goal on 24 shots as his team stormed to a 2-1 series lead. He has been rock solid in goal, as you would expect, allowing three or fewer goals in each of the three games in this series, and three or fewer goals in 10 of his 11 appearances overall since the restart. A hot goalie is what it takes to go far in the postseason, and Vasilevskiy certainly fits that bill.
Halak was lit up for four goals on 16 shots and he was pulled midway through the second period. Head coach Bruce Cassidy turned to rookie Dan Vladar, who was making his NHL debut, and he allowed three goals on 15 shots in the 7-1 whitewashing. Despite the fact Halak was roughed up, there is virtually zero chance Vladar is thrust into a starting role, although the veteran Halak could be on a short leash again if he doesn’t get on the ball.
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Lightning vs. Bruins: Odds, picks and betting tips
Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access them at USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Odds last updated at 5:29 a.m. ET.
Prediction
Lightning 4, Bruins 2
Moneyline (ML)
The LIGHTNING (-112) are slight favorites for this important Game 4, and they could push the Bruins (-106) to the brink with another win. While Game 3 was a beatdown, it’s just one game, and the B’s are a veteran club. But their mess of a goaltender situation might be their undoing, and the Bolts’ tendy has easily been the difference so far.
New to sports betting? A winning $10 bet on the Lightning to win returns a profit of $8.93.
Puck Line/Against the Spread (ATS)
The LIGHTNING (-1.5, +230) are worth a roll of the dice at this price, as you can more than double your potential return. As shaky as Halak was last time out, this is a good value.
Over/Under (O/U)
OVER 5.5 (-110) is the way to go here. The Over has cashed in each of the past two games, and the Lightning pushed it Over the finish line themselves with a seven-spot in Game 3. We have seen an average of 6.7 goals per game so far in this series, so keep thumping the Over until further notice.
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