Tampa Bay Lightning vs Montreal Canadiens Betting Pick & Prediction 1/21/25

Betting on today’s Lightning and Canadiens game? Catch the action at Bell Centre in Montreal, QC, as the Canadiens hosts this showdown at 7:00 ET on ESPN+. The Lightning are favored by -1.5 in this Atlantic divisional contest against the Canadiens. The game’s over/under currently sits at 6 goals.

TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING VS MONTREAL CANADIENS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Montreal Canadiens +1.5

This game will be played at Bell Centre at 7:00 ET on Tuesday, January 21st.

WHY BET THE MONTREAL CANADIENS:

• Despite being 1.5 goal underdogs, we predict the Canadiens to come out on top with a final score of 4-3.
• We like the Canadiens on the moneyline (+121)
• The Canadiens are also our pick on the spread at +1.5

Can the Lightning Grab a Win on the Road?

Tampa Bay’s 7-4 loss to the Jets dropped their record to 25-17-3. The Lightning led 2-0 early, but Winnipeg scored seven of the next nine goals. The total for the game was set at 6.5 goals, and the combined 11 goals easily went over. Tampa Bay was the underdog on the puck line.

Four different players scored for the Lightning in the game. They led 2-0 and 3-2 at different points, but the Jets pulled away with four goals in the third period, including two empty-netters.

Tampa Bay’s offense registered 30 shots on goal in their 7-4 loss to the Jets, scoring four times. Brandon Hagel netted his 7th goal of the season, while Brayden Point added his 8th on a power play. Mitchell Chaffee followed with his 4th goal, and Nikita Kucherov scored his 10th.

The Lightning scored twice in the first period, added a third goal in the second, and tied the game 4-4 in the third period. They finished with 8 giveaways.

After tying the game at 4-4 in the 3rd period, Tampa Bay’s defense struggled, allowing three late goals to the Jets. The first came at the 7:38 mark, followed by two empty-netters. Goalie Jonas Johansson made 27 saves with an 84.4% save percentage, and the Lightning’s defense recorded 6 takeaways and 16 hits.

Will Montreal Come Through as Home Underdogs?

Montreal’s 3-1 loss to the Penguins dropped their record to 23-19-4. The Canadiens entered the game as underdogs on the puck line, with the total set at 6.5 goals, but the combined score of 4 fell short of that mark.

After falling behind 2-0, Christian Dvorak scored for Montreal in the third period to cut the deficit in half. However, the Penguins sealed the game with an empty-net goal at 19:15 in the final period.

Montreal’s offense struggled to find the net, managing just one goal in their 3-1 loss to the Penguins. Christian Dvorak scored his first goal of the season at 14:28 in the third period. Emil Heineman picked up his first assist, while Juraj Slafkovsky added his seventh.

The Canadiens fired 26 shots on goal but were held scoreless until the third period. They had 20 giveaways and were unable to capitalize on any power play opportunities.

Defensively, the Canadiens allowed the first two goals of the game, one at 15:57 in the first period and another at 18:40 in the second. They gave up a third goal on an empty net late in the third period. Sam Montembeault made 21 saves with a 91.3% save percentage. Montreal’s defense also recorded 4 takeaways and 28 hits.