Bruins vs. Lightning NHL Best Bets for April 8 (Archive)
A critical Atlantic Division matchup steals the Friday night spotlight when the Bruins skate into Tampa to take on the Lightning. Let’s analyze this matchup between these Eastern Conference powers and keep cashing our NHL picks!
Boston Bruins vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
Friday, April 08, 2022 – 07:00 PM EDT at Amalie Arena
The Bruins had won seven of their last eight entering their Tuesday night skate with the Red Wings in Detroit. The NHL odds at all of the best online sportsbooks tagged the B’s as ranging between -190 and -200 road favorites against the slumping Wings but upsets happen and Boston dropped a 5-3 decision in Motown.
However, it wasn’t a lack of effort by Boston as they peppered Detroit goalie, Alex Nedeljkovic, with 50 shots in which he allowed only three goals for a .940 save percentage and a win on his record. The night started well for the Bruins as Erik Haula drew first blood early in the opening frame with his 13th tally of the season. Brandon Carlo would follow that up later on in the period with a shorthanded goal to put Boston in front, 2-0, against the struggling Red Wings.
However, that was the end of Boston’s domination as Detroit scored the next four goals until Patrice Bergeron brought the Bruins to within one to make it 4-3 with under three minutes remaining in the game. An empty-net goal would put the game on ice for Detroit and Boston would go home empty after emptying their offensive arsenal in a losing effort.
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Patrice Bergeron said after the game, “I think it’s attention to detail all the way through. You can’t put your foot off the gas pedal at the end, especially late in periods. It gives the other team momentum. Definitely need to rectify that.”
Lightning Looking to Rebound
Tampa Bay has now lost its last three games at a time when they are fighting with the Bruins for the third spot in the Atlantic Division playoff race. Nevertheless, both teams are virtually assured of a postseason berth as the season races to a close but one will likely enter as a wild card team unless second-place Toronto begins to stumble.
After dropping two straight, the Lightning skated into DC to meet the Capitals as -140 road chalk at the best sportsbooks but once again, they came out on the short end of a 4-3 decision. Tampa Bay found themselves staring at a 2-0 deficit in the first period before Nikita Kucherov deposited his 14th goal of the season to cut the lead in half. However, Alexander Ovechkin would counter five minutes later for his 43rd goal before Nicholas Paul closed the gap to 3-2 at the end of one.
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Washington’s John Carlson rightfully earned the game’s No. 1 star when he scored his second goal of the contest to make it 4-2 before Ross Colton tallied for his 15th of the year on a man-advantage situation. When the buzzer sounded, the Lightning had lost their third consecutive game and are now tied with Boston for third place with 93 points.
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Boston has won two of three against their division rivals from Tampa Bay this season with the latest being a 3-2 victory in Boston on March 24th. But this is a team that is struggling a bit defensively as rookie netminder, Jeremy Swayman, could be feeling the effects of the long grind that is the NHL season.
And although Swayman still sits near the top in goals-against average with a 2.29 GAA (4th), we should point out that his .914 save percentage sees him tumble out of the top 10 in that category. This curiosity is likely a result of a stout Boston defense corps that limits the number of shots and gives their goalies relief that many others don’t enjoy.
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It’s only a matter of time before the Lightning put it all together and their superstar patrolling the crease, Andrei Vasilevskiy, gets his mojo back on track after allowing 10 goals over his last two starts. We should also point out that one of Boston’s key weapons, David Pastrnak, did not play against the Red Wings after aggravating an injury in the previous game against Columbus and may be on the shelf for this one as well.
Although Boston is an excellent road team as evidenced by their 22-10-3 mark in hostile territory, this appears to be a prime spot for the Lightning to win a low-scoring affair, as two of their three previous contests have gone under.
NHL Pick: Lightning (-145) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
NHL Pick: Under 6 (-116) at BetOnline
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.