The Los Angeles Kings head across the country for a matchup with the Tampa Bay Lightning. While the Kings might seem to have the advantage in the nets, find out why we are adding the Lightning to our NHL picks instead.
When examining the Eastern Conference playoff races, the
Tampa Bay Lightning don’t get much consideration as one of the contestants. For
the most part, it’s fair and understandable as the Lightning have been a huge
disappointment this season after such an encouraging display last season.
But touts
and NHL bettors should keep an eye on them even though they only have 51 points so
far this season. The Lightning are 6-0-1 in their last seven and definitely
have the talent to keep this up. It starts with a visit from the slumping Los
Angeles Kings on Tuesday.
Tuesday, February
7th
NHL odds boards opened with the Lightning listed at -120 with a total of 5.5. Early NHL betting action has pushed the puck line down to -115 at most sportsbooks. Are the sports betting lies moving in our favor, or are we slowly losing our betting value? Find out what we think as we share our NHL picks for this matchup.
The Los Angeles Kings can win because…
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They are finally rested.
The Kings commenced a six-game road trip with
back-to-back losses in St. Louis and Carolina, but it was a bit of a tough
spot. It was also their third game in four nights with plenty of travel in
between from Los Angeles, St. Louis and Carolina. Now they’ve had two days off
to rest and prepare for the Lightning.
The Lightning are playing well these days but it’s still
in spite of their goaltending; not because of it. Mathieu Garon is getting the
starts these days, but he’s got an .886 save percentage since the start of
January. He’s still allowed 10 goals in his last four games, which is still
high for a starting goaltender.
The Kings will clearly have the better netminder in this
matchup as Jonathan Quick is having a Vezina Trophy worthy season. He’s got a
1.91 GAA on the season (fourth-best in the NHL) and has allowed just 16 goals
in his last nine games. The Kings will need him to steal one for them on
Tuesday.
The Tampa Bay Lightning can win because…
The Kings are as cold as the Lightning are hot.
Los Angeles started off pretty well when Darryl Sutter
took over the head coaching duties but they were winning a lot of tight
contests. That’s caught up with them and now that the puck isn’t bouncing in
their favor, those close wins have turned into close losses.
The Kings have lost four of six with three of those
losses coming by exactly one goal.
Scoring has been an issue for them all season long as
they average just 2.00 goals per game on the road, which is the fourth-lowest
amount in the NHL. Tampa Bay is the second-highest scoring team at home (3.54),
so we already have an idea of how this might go. The Kings have scored more
than two goals just once in their last 14 road games (not including shootout
winners).
Meanwhile, the Lightning have averaged 3.71 goals per
game in their last seven. If they can penetrate Quick, they’ll get the win.
Outlook & NHL Betting Prediction:
The Kings are playing lousy these days and Lightning are
hot. Sure, they have the better goaltender in this matchup, but is that enough
to encourage a bet as a tiny road underdog? Likely not.
Instead, take the Lightning at a cheap price at home. As
good as Quick’s stats look, the Kings have won just four of his last 11 starts.
Bet the Lightning.
NHL Picks: Lightning