The Boston Bruins will gun for their fourth consecutive win Thursday night when they take on the Tampa Bay Lightning as -120 moneyline favorites on the NHL betting lines at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
The Bruins closed to within four points of the Washington Capitals for the top wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with their 3-1 win over the surging Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night, rewarding bettors as -115 moneyline favorites at the sportsbooks.
Boston enters the Lightning-Bruins betting matchup at TD Garden with six wins in their last eight outings, but it has needed standout performances from goaltenders Tuukka Rask and Niklas Svedberg, who have faced a combined 79 shots in their last two outings.
After being badly outshot by the Senators in Tuesday’s win, and by the Detroit Red Wings in their previous outing, the Bruins have allowed 31 or more shots on goal in each of their last six games but have surrendered just 13 total goals while posting a 5-1 record.
The Bruins face a Lightning squad that has won four in a row, including a dominating performance in Tuesday’s 1-0 win over the Montreal Canadiens in which they peppered Habs netminder Carey Price with 36 shots.
Thursday’s matchup is the first of three between the Bruins and Bolts in the final four weeks of the regular season. The Bruins recorded a 4-3 win in their only previous meeting this season, claiming victory as strong -150 moneyline favorites in that one.
In NBA action, the Boston Celtics will look for their third consecutive win, straight up and against the spread, when they welcome the Orlando Magic to town Friday night.
Boston is 1-2 SU against the Magic this season, falling short in both meetings on the road, including last week’s 103-98 loss as a 2.5-point road favorite on the NBA betting lines. But the Celtics have dominated Orlando on home court, going 9-0 SU in the Magic’s last nine visits and 7-1-1 ATS.
The Celtics stunned the Southwest-leading Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night, posting an impressive 95-92 victory while pegged as heavy 6.5-point home underdogs.
The Celtics’ win over Memphis improved them to 7-3 SU and ATS in their last 10, moving them comfortably into second place in the Atlantic Division, 10.5 games back of the Toronto Raptors. However, Boston continues to trail the Miami Heat by 1.5 games for the final playoff spot in the NBA’s Eastern Conference.
Thumbnail photo via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images
