Lightning vs. Bruins NHL Odds and Preview – March 24th, 2022

By Carlos Chacon • March 24, 2022

The Tampa Bay Lightning are ahead of the Boston Bruins in the current standings. However, the Lightning are in quite a skid, whereas the Bruins are on a roll. Will Boston be able to leapfrog the Lightning over in the Atlantic with a win on Thursday night and with the Stanley Cup Playoffs looming ever closer?

Be sure to be on the lookout for updated NHL odds and lines out our online Bitcoin sportsbook before placing your bets.

Lightning vs. Bruins Game Information

Checking in from Boston. ? pic.twitter.com/Y5aR2n1EMD
— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) March 23, 2022

When: Thursday, March 24th, 2022, 10:00 PM ET
Where: TD Garden, Boston, MA
TV: SNE, SNO, TVAS, NESN, BSSUN
Radio: WPRT-FM 102-5 The Game (Lightning) // 98.5 The Sports Hub (Bruins)
Live Stream: NHL Live
NHL Betting Odds: Lightning (-278) / Bruins (+226)

Why Bet on the Tampa Bay Lightning?

A two-game losing streak and losses in five of their last seven games have the Tampa Bay Lightning reeling at a bad time. The defending two-time Stanley Cup champions are now six games behind the Florida Panthers for the division lead with 19 games remaining.

Tampa Bay has only scored two goals or less in five of its last six outings. This is a far cry from a team that’s still ranked eighth in the NHL in scoring with an average of 3.31 goals per contest. Having newcomers Nicholas Paul (one goal scored) and Brandon Hagel make solid debuts for Tampa during Tuesday’s 3-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes is a good sign, but the team still needs its superstars to regain their mojo.

The Lightning’s top players in Steven Stamkos and Victor Hedman are seemingly not on the same page of late. Stamkos, the team’s leading scorer with 27 goals and 66 points, has been held without a single point in five of his last six starts. Meanwhile, Hedman (team-high 45 assists) has a plus-minus of negative-five in the month of March.

Why Bet on the Boston Bruins?

With the thrilling 3-2 overtime win over the Montreal Canadiens on Monday, the Boston Bruins are peaking just in time for another strong playoff push. They’ve now won two straight games and six of their last seven overall to put them just one point behind Tampa Bay in the division standings.

Brad Marchand scored two goals in the win over the Habs. The two-time First All-Star Team selection leads all Boston players with 62 points this season for a relatively mediocre offense that ranks 17th in the NHL with an average of exactly three goals per game. Although, the Bruins do have the eighth-best power play percentage in the league (24.2%) to somehow offset their scoring inconsistency.

Boston’s real strength has been between the pipes as goalie Jeremy Swayman has been quite the revelation in his first full season in the big leagues. Swayman’s 2.09 goals-against average ranks second in the NHL and will likely warrant more starts in the postseason over his fellow netminder Linus Ullmark, who isn’t too shabby either (90.9 SV%, 2.7 GAA).

Lightning vs. Bruins Betting Trends

The Lightning are 2-4 in the last six road games.
The Bolts are 7-3 in the last 10 meetings against Boston, including the postseason.
The totals went under in each of Tampa Bay’s last five road games.
The Bruins are 4-3 at home since the start of February.
The Bruins are on a seven-game win streak against their division rivals.
The totals have gone 4-1-2 in favor of the under across Boston’s last seven games in general.

Lightning vs. Bruins Expert Betting Predictions

Considering that Boston has better momentum than Tampa Bay, it’s easy to chalk this up as an easy win for the streaky Bruins. However, the Lightning have a good track record against the Bruins in general and will be more determined to win Thursday’s contest knowing that the Bruins will overtake them in the standings if they’re to suffer another defeat.

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*All odds stated are subject to change without prior notice.