Trent Reinsmith
- What: Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Carolina Hurricanes
- Date: Tuesday, March 28, 2023
- Location: PNC Arena in Raleigh, NC
- Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
- How to Watch: TVAS, BSSO, BSSUN, ESPN+
Two of the top teams in the NHL’s Eastern Conference — both of which look to be on their way to the 2023 NHL playoffs — meet tonight in North Carolina when the Metropolitan Division-leading Carolina Hurricanes host the Tampa Bay Lightning, who are in third place in the Atlantic Division, at PNC Arena.
With eight games left in the 2023 NHL regular season, the Tampa Bay Lightning have a 42-26-6 record on the season, which puts them seven points behind the Atlantic Division’s second-place team, the Toronto Maple Leafs. Tampa Bay is 4-5-1 in its past 10 games, and the team has a 17-19-1 road this season.
The Carolina Hurricanes have 10 games left on their 2023 NHL regular season schedule. The team brings a 47-16-9 record into tonight’s game. The ‘Canes’ 103 points are three more than the Metropolitan Division’s second-place club, the New Jersey Devils, and Carolina has a game in hand on New Jersey. Carolina is 5-4-1 in its past 10 outings, and the team has an outstanding 25-9-3 home record on the 2023 season, which is fourth-best in the Eastern Conference.
Before we look at the betting breakdown for tonight’s NHL matchup between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Tampa Bay Lightning, check out our guide to betting on the 2023 Stanley Cup and our tips for betting on the NHL.
Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Carolina Hurricanes picks for March 28, 2023
| Teams |  |  |  |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | +120 | +125 | +125 |
| Carolina Hurricanes | -140 | -145 | -145 |
Tampa Bay Lightning breakdown
The Tampa Bay Lightning did not lose three games in a row until they dropped five straight between February 26 and March 5. The club followed that rough stretch with a 5-2 run. Unfortunately, the Lightning enter tonight’s matchup opposite the Carolina Hurricanes on another four-game losing skid. The team’s three most recent losses have all been road games.
Nikita Kucherov is having a fantastic year for the Lightning. He leads the team in scoring with 102 points in 74 games (28 goals, 74 assists). Meanwhile, the team’s leading goal scorer is Brayden Point. With eight games left in the 2023 NHL season, Point has already hit a career-high 45 goals.
Andrei Vasilevskiy has a record of 31-20-4 in net for the Lightning. Vasilevskiy has a goals against average of 2.69 and a save percentage of .914.
Carolina Hurricanes breakdown
The Hurricanes have been fantastic since the middle of January. The team ended a four-game losing skid on January 10. Since then, Carolina has a record of 22-7-2. During that time, the ‘Canes have put together winning streaks of seven, five and four games while never losing more than two in a row. However, over the team’s past 10 games they have been a little inconsistent with a 5-4-1 record. The team is coming off a 4-3 shootout loss to the Boston Bruins at home on Sunday.
Martin Necas leads the Hurricanes in scoring with 68 points. He is also tops in assists with 41. Sebastian Aho is the team leader in goals (33).
Carolina has an outstanding goaltending tandem in Antti Raanta and Frederick Andersen. However, Raanta is out right now with a lower-body injury. Despite that, the Hurricanes have a capable backup for Andersen in Pyotr Kochetkov, who has 23 NHL games under his belt in 2023. Andersen has a 2.45 goals against average and a .904 save percentage. Meanwhile, Kochetkov’s numbers are even better with a 2.41 GAA and a .911 SV%.
Best bet for Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Carolina Hurricanes
Neither of these teams are playing exceptionally well right now, but the Carolina Hurricanes are playing better than the Tampa Bay Lightning and Carolina has been outstanding on home ice during the 2023 NHL regular season. The best bet for tonight’s game is to pick the Carolina Hurricanes to beat the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Pick: Carolina Hurricanes to beat the Tampa Bay Lightning.
See below a list of reliable sportsbooks and choose the best one for you.
