Montreal Canadiens vs Tampa Bay Lightning Prediction, 3/18/2023 NHL Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Montreal Canadiens vs Tampa Bay Lightning

Date: Saturday, March 18, 2023

Location: Amalie Arena in Tampa, FL

TV: Bally Sports Sun

Odds/Point Spread: Canadiens (+275) Lightning (-350)

The Montreal Canadiens (27-36-6) are on their way to Amalie Arena on Saturday where they will go up against the Tampa Bay Lightning (41-22-6). The line on this matchup has the Canadiens at +275 while the Lightning are priced at -350. The over/under has been set at 7.

The Montreal Canadiens will be looking to get a win in their next outing after their 9-5 defeat against the Panthers their last time out. Montreal accumulated 31 penalty mins in this contest. The Canadiens had a impressive offensive outing in the defeat. Moreover, they had 1 chance on the power play and were able to notch 1 goal. For the matchup, they scored on 5 of the 30 shots they attempted.

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Montreal Canadiens opponents have tallied 229 power play opportunities (7th in professional hockey) and have tallied 63 goals in those chances. The Canadiens so far have had 2,346 shots tried against them and hold a save percentage of .891. Montreal has attempted 1,899 shots and has a shooting percentage of 10.1%. When at even strength, the Canadiens have allowed the opponent to score 192 goals while earning 158 on offense. Montreal skates onto the rink with 202 power play chances and they have added 33 goals out of those attempts, giving them a percentage of 16.34%. For the current campaign, they have recorded 60 points and their points percentage is sitting at .435. When talking about their goal scoring prowess, the Montreal Canadiens have earned 191 goals (27th in pro hockey) this season and have conceded 255.

Patrolling the crease for the game will be Jake Allen. Opponents have notched 993 goals against Allen in his pro hockey career and his goals against average per contest is 2.70. Allen has taken the ice for 393 contests during his pro hockey career. His save percentage currently is at .909 in his 22,084 minutes guarding the cage. He has amassed a record of 182-149-38 and was named the starter in 372 games. In his career, Allen has compiled 197 quality starts and his percentage for quality starts is .530. Allen has seen 10,902 shot attempts taken against him and has accrued 9,909 saves.

Their last time out, Tampa Bay went up against the Devils in a game where the Lightning got the tie by a tally of 3-3. They had 3 power play attempts in this game and tallied 1 out of those opportunities. The Lightning notched 3 goals out of the 24 shots on goal they took.

The Lightning have earned 177 goals at even strength and 61 goals (2nd in professional hockey) while having a power play advantage. Tampa Bay has attempted 2,214 shots (11th in the NHL) and has a shot percentage of 10.75%, while allowing their opponents 2,158 shots. So far this year, the Tampa Bay Lightning have a total of 238 goals, 88 points, as well as a points percentage of .638. They have granted a total of 208 goals to be scored by of a combination of 164 goals at even strength and 44 goals while they were shorthanded. They have recorded 239 power play chances and they have earned a power play rate of 25.52%. They have a penalty kill rate of 79.82% on their opponents 218 tries on the power play, and their save percentage sits at 90.4%.

Across the ice you will find Andrei Vasilevskiy defending the net. The opposition is averaging 2.52 goals per contest and he has allowed 1,031 goals overall. Vasilevskiy's quality start rate comes out to 57.5% and he has made 234 quality starts in his pro career. He was named a starter in 407 games and his ice time sits at 24,513 mins. Vasilevskiy has amassed a lifetime record of 260-118-28 and has been in net for 417 games. He has tallied 11,630 saves out of the 12,661 shots attempted, which gives him a percentage of .919.

Who will win tonight's NHL game against the spread or moneyline?

Guy's Pick: Take Tampa Bay (-350)

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