Vegas Golden Knights vs Tampa Bay Lightning Betting Pick & Prediction 12/21/23
Looking to win big? The Golden Knights and Lightning face off at 7:00 ET on BSSU. The Lightning are hosting the game at Amalie Arena in Tampa, FL. The over/under for this non-conference contest is set at 6 goals, with the Lightning being the favored team playing at home against the Golden Knights.
VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS VS TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING BETTING PICK
The Pick: Tampa Bay Lightning -1.5
This game will be played at Amalie Arena at 7:00 ET on Thursday, December 21st.
WHY BET THE TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING:
- With the Lightning being favored by 1.5, our NHL analytics models has this one playing out 4-3 in favor of the Lightning.
- Take the Lightning on the moneyline
- On the spread, we like Golden Knights (+1.5)
Do the Golden Knights Have What it Takes to Win as Road Underdogs?
This season, the Golden Knights have an overall record of 21-7-5. On the road, Vegas holds a 9-4-3 mark, and they are 12-3-2 when playing at home. At the moment, they hold the 1st spot in the Western Pacific division and are ranked 1st in the Western conference.
Regarding the puck line, Vegas comes in with a 16-17 record. On the road against the puck line, they are 8-8, while their home record is 8-9. The average goal total for Vegas’ games is sitting at 6.2. The average over/under line for the season is 6.2. The Golden Knights come in with an over/under record of 16-17-0.
When looking at their past three road matchups, Vegas has an puck line record of 2-1 while averaging 5 per game. The team went 2-1 overall in these games.
When looking at their offense, the Golden Knights have an average of 3.4 goals per game this season, positioning themselves 3rd in the NHL. In terms of shots on goal per game, they are ranked 2nd in the league. This season, the Golden Knights are 12-6 when getting more shots on goal than their opponents. And in games with fewer shots on goal, they have a 8-1 record.
The leading scorer for Vegas’ offense is Jack Eichel. Coming into the game he has 15 goals, ranking 22nd in the NHL. Eichel also comes into the game with 22 assists.
The Lightning defense is currently 6th in goals allowed. Opponents are averaging 30.8 shots per game against Tampa Bay. In terms of shutouts, they come into the game ranked 5th with 3 shutouts.
Heading into this matchup vs. Tampa Bay, goalie Jiri Patera has started one games in this season. His current record is 1-0, and his save percentage stands at 0.20618556701030927%.
Pressure Builds for Tampa Bay as Home Favorites
In their 33 games, the Lightning have a 15-13-5 record this season. While playing at their home arena, they have a 9-3-3 record, and their record on the road is 6-10-2. Their current record places them 4th in the Eastern Atlantic division and 9th in the Eastern conference.
Analyzing their performance against the puck line, Tampa Bay has a 17-16 record. On the road they are 7-11 against the puck line, while their overall home performance is10-5. The average goal total for Tampa Bay’s games is sitting at 6.8. The average over/under line for the season is 6.5. The Lightning come in with an over/under record of 15-16-2.
Across the Lightning last three home games, the team averaged 3 goals per game while allowing 4. Their record vs the puck line in these contests was 1-2, while going 1-2 straight-up.
On offense, the Lightning are averaging 3.4 goals per game which is 5th in the NHL. In terms of shots on goal per game, they are 7th in the league. Looking at how the Lightning’s offense is performing during power plays, they are 1st in power play goals and 30th in shorthanded goals.
Tampa Bay’s leading scorer is Nikita Kucherov. So far, he has 22 goals which is 3rd in the NHL. Kucherov also comes into the game with 32 assists.
Defensively, the Lightning come into the season ranked 6th in goals allowed. Opponents are averging 30.8 shots per game against Tampa Bay. For the season, they are ranked 5th in shutouts, coming in with 3 shutouts.
Heading into this matchup vs. Vegas, goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy has started 11 games in this season. His current record is 6-5, and his save percentage stands at 0.4845360824742268%.