The St. Louis Blues and Tampa Bay Lightning are playing solid hockey entering tonight’s matchup from Amalie Arena.
All Odds Courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook
St. Louis Blues (+146) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (-188) Total: 6.5 (O +110, U -134)The Blues have cleaned up their play after a long losing streak to begin November, posting a 7-3 record over their last ten games. Meanwhile, the Lightning have been consistent, with a 6-3-1 record over that same stretch. Expectations for these teams are squarely focused on the playoffs, which should make for a competitive battle tonight.
Even with the Blues playing better hockey lately, they’ve still struggled to score goals and keep them out of their net. They sit 24th in goals scored per game and 22nd in goals allowed per game. There’s likely some positive correction due sooner than later, but it’s still noteworthy entering this contest.
Regarding the goalies, the visiting Blues are expected to turn to Jordan Binnington, while the Lightning should start Andrei Vasilevskiy. The Blues netminder is 9-6 record with a .905 save percentage, while Vasilevskiy is 7-6-1 with a .903 save percentage. There’s likely another level to both netminders’ play, so those numbers should continue to improve.
These teams look more evenly matched than the line suggests, so it’s hard not to be swayed by the Blues’ moneyline. St. Louis has found some recent success, and they have too much value to pass up.
Best Bet: Blues moneyline (+146)
The Blues have had some high-scoring affairs lately. Over their last five games, four have seen seven or more goals scored. A similar story can be told for the Lightning, who’ve seen seven or more goals scored in three of their last five games. There is potential for goal-scoring, with the total set at 6.5. The over is currently in plus-money at +110, while the under is juiced at -134. With these teams’ trends, it’s hard to fade the over and plus-money value.
Best Bet: Over 6.5 (+110)
After starting the season strong, there hasn’t been much to love about Vladimir Tarasenko’s play. He’s tallied just four goals and nine assists through seventeen games, and he can undoubtedly bring more to the table, especially in the goal-scoring department. He’s the type of player that scores in bunches, so you should expect a hot stretch to occur sooner or later. There’s definite value in looking at Tarasenko to light the lamp at +240.
Best Prop: Vladimir Tarasenko to Record Over 0.5 Goals (+240)
