NHL Pick: Lightning ML (-165) at Bookmaker (visit our Bookmaker Review)
The Tampa Bay Lightning own one of the best home records in the league and will welcome the Panthers to Amalie Arena where they will try to avenge a 7-1 loss to Florida three weeks ago. Let’s review the NHL odds in this contest as well as two more of our best bets and keep cashing our NHL picks!
Florida Panthers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
Tuesday, February 28, 2023 – 07:00 PM EST at Amalie Arena
Key Stats
Analysis
The Panthers have dropped four of their last seven games including a 3-1 loss to the Sabres on Friday in which Buffalo goalie Craig Anderson sparkled by saving 48 of 49 shots en route to the victory. Carter Verhaeghe was the only Panther to crack the code that was Anderson when he netted his 31st goal of the season early in the final stanza.
The Lightning have been struggling as well, having lost four of their last six including Saturday’s 7-3 loss to the Penguins. Tampa led 2-1 entering the second period but six unanswered goals in the middle frame put this one to bed. The Lightning would get a goal in the final period from Brayden Point, his 36th, on the power play, while backup goalie Brian Elliott took the loss, allowing all seven goals on 36 shots.
To add a little context to the setback, the Lightning were playing the second leg of back-to-back road games, and starting goaltender, Andrei Vasilevskiy, was enjoying a well-deserved breather which is why Elliott wasn’t pulled and stayed in the net for all seven goals.
The Bolts have won two of three this season against the Panthers and will be out for blood after a humiliating 7-1 loss. Perhaps one of the biggest advantages the Lightning have in this one will be playing in front of their home crowd in which they are 22-4-3 while the Panthers flounder on the highway with a 13-17-3 road mark.
We should also note Tampa Bay boasts a big edge on the power play where they connect on 25.7 percent of their man-advantaged situations (second) while the Panthers kill only 74.2% of their penalties (27th).
NHL Pick: Lightning ML (-165) at Bookmaker
New York Islanders vs. Minnesota Wild
Tuesday, February 28, 2023 - 08:00 PM EST at Xcel Energy Center
Key Stats
Analysis
This is a contest between two-defensive oriented teams with low-scoring offenses. If you don’t know where I’m going with this then let me draw you a map. The Islanders have gone low in their last three games while the under has cashed in eight of the Wild’s last nine contests.
The Isles have two solid options patrolling the crease but Ilya Sorokin is the starter for a reason. His 2.41 GAA and .925 save percentage puts him in the rarified air of elite goaltenders in the NHL. He will likely get the nod as his backup, Semyon Varlamov, got the last start in a 4-0 win over Winnipeg on Sunday. But should Varlamov go, he’s not exactly chopped liver.
On the flip side, 24-year-old Swede, Filip Gustavsson, appears to be slowly usurping the great Marc-Andre Fleury as the starting goalie on the roster. Gustavsson has seen six starts over the last nine games and knowing that Fleury started the Wild’s last game, a 3-2 overtime win against Columbus, would lead me to believe Gus and his 2.11 GAA/.928 save percentage will be in between the pipes for this one.
Go low and cash a ticket. And don't forget that all of you New Yorkers can make your bets at these New York betting sites.
NHL Pick: Under 5 ½ (-137) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
Seattle Kraken vs. St. Louis Blues
Tuesday, February 28, 2023 - 08:00 PM EST at Enterprise Center
Key Stats
Analysis
This Kraken check in with a respectable 17-9-3 road record while the Blues don’t appear to be fond of the home cookin’ as evidenced by their 13-13-4 mark at the Enterprise Center. These clubs have met twice this season with the Blues stealing a 4-3 overtime win in October while the Kraken got their revenge in a 5-2 victory in late December.
Both teams are struggling as Seattle limps in on a three-game losing streak while the Blues are crawling into this Tuesday night showdown on a five-game losing skein. But at least the Kraken have an offense, ranked seventh averaging 3.44 goals per game and will be facing a team that is ranked 29th in goals allowed, permitting 3.63 goals per game.
If the Blues could mitigate their scoring deficiency with a strong offense, as Seattle does, it would be easier to swallow but the Blues are ranked 22nd in goals scored, averaging just 3.00 goals per contest. That’s just not enough to get the job done against a Seattle team that can light it up once they get their motor running.
NHL Pick: Kraken ML (-150) 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.
