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- What: Boston Bruins vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
- Date: Monday, November 20, 2023
- Location: Amalie Arena in Tampa, FL
- Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
- How to Watch: NESN, BSSUN, NHLPP|ESPN+
The top team in the NHL, the Boston Bruins, look to add a 14th win to their 2023 record when they travel to Florida to face the Tampa Bay Lightning tonight in Eastern Conference action. The Bruins sport a 13-1-2 record this year. Meanwhile, Tampa Bay is 8-6-4, which puts them in fourth place in the Atlantic Division. Both clubs are riding two-game winning streaks heading into tonight’s game at Amalie Arena in Tampa, FL. Here is some background on the Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning before we look at the betting odds, picks, and predictions for tonight’s matchup.
The Boston Bruins lost some key players in the offseason. Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci retired, while Taylor Hall and Dmitry Orlov were traded. While those losses hurt, the veteran team still has David Pastrnak, Brad Marchand, Hampus Lindholm, and Linus Ullmark. To take the sting off some of those losses, the team added James van Riemsdyk and Kevin Shattenkirk.
The Tampa Bay Lightning won the Stanley Cup in 2020 and 2021 and made it to the Cup Finals in 2022. Injuries have hurt the team early this year. The Lightning have only won two consecutive games twice this season. They look to pick up their first three-game winning streak against the Bruins.
Before we look at the betting breakdown for tonight’s matchup between the Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning, check out our betting picks to win the 2024 Stanley Cup and our tips for betting on the NHL.
Boston Bruins vs. Tampa Bay Lightning betting picks
 | Puck LIne | Money Line | Total Points |
| Boston Bruins | -1.5 (+200) | -124 | Ov 6.5 (+107) |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | +1.5 (-240) | +110 | Un 6.5 (-123) |
Boston Bruins betting breakdown
The Boston Bruins, who bowed out of the first round of the 2023 NHL playoffs, losing to the Florida Panthers in seven games, have silenced their doubters early in the 2024 season. The team opened the season with six straight wins to take the top spot in the Atlantic Division. Of their three losses this year, only one has come during regulation play, and that game was decided by a single goal.
Team defense has been one of the keys for the Bruins. No team has allowed fewer goals this year than Boston, who have surrendered 32 total goals, which is impressive considering the Bruins are giving up an average of 30.6 shots per game, which puts them at No. 14 in the NHL in that category.
David Pastrnak is the offensive leader of the Bruins. The winger has a team-leading 27 points, 11 goals, and 16 assists. Brad Marchand is second in team scoring with 18 points (7 goals, 11 assists).
Boston’s goaltending duo of Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman lead the league with a combined 2.00 goals against average. Their combined save percentage is an impressive .935. Swayman, who has started eight games for the Bruins, is the league’s top goaltender in goals against average, 1.73, and save percentage, .941.
Tampa Bay Lightning betting breakdown
After last year’s loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, there were questions about how things would go for an aging and slowing Tampa Bay Lightning in 2024. This season has not started out well for the club, they recently ended a three-game losing skid with back-to-back wins against Chicago and Edmonton.
On a positive note, Tampa Bay’s 63 goals on the season is the highest team total in the Eastern Conference. However, the team has allowed the second most goals in the East at 66. The team has struggled in its defensive play mainly because starting goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy has yet to play this year following back surgery. Vasilevskiy resumed practice last week and will be evaluated in the coming days to get an idea as to when the team can expect him to play in NHL action,
Tampa Bay is once again relying on its veterans to carry the club. Nikita Kucherov leads the team in points (27) and goals (13), while Brayden Point has the most assists on the club with 16.
Goaltending is an enormous issue for the team, with Jonas Johnson and Matt Tomkins combining for a 3.61 goals against average and a .895 save percentage. The due has faced an average of 32.4 shots per game, which is ninth-highest in the NHL for the 2024 season.
Best bets for Boston Bruins vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning are 5-2-2 at home, while the Boston Bruins are 6-1-1 on the road. Tampa Bay has not be consistent this year and that makes it difficult to pick them to beat a team that is playing as well as the Bruins. The betting picks is for the Bruins to beat Tampa Bay on Monday night.
With Boston’s goaltending and defense playing as strong as it is, and Tampa Bay being an up-and-down team in goal scoring, they recently lost back-to-back games to the Blues and Hurricanes by shutout. The best bet is to go with under 6.5 goals in this game.
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