The Chicago Blackhawks Visit Tampa Bay to Battle the Lightning

The Chicago Blackhawks will head to Amalie Arena on Friday evening to take on the back-to-back Stanley Cup Champions Tampa Bay Lightning in a non-conference game. The Blackhawks are seventh in the Central Division (24-32-10, 58 points) this season while the Lightning are second in the Atlantic Division (41-18-6, 88 points) up to this point. This is the second and final game against one another as they played back on March 6 with Tampa Bay was able to pick up a 6-3 road victory. 

There seems to be a great divide between the level of these two franchises so it should be an entertaining game. Let’s take a closer look into Chicago and Tampa Bay to determine where we should be placing our wagers here. 

Game Preview: Chicago Blackhawks at Tampa Bay Lightning, April 1

The Blackhawks are struggling a bit on the offensive side of the ice as they are scoring 2.65 goals on 28.7 shot attempts this season. Veteran right winger Patrick Kane has been playing very well this season as he is sixth in the NHL in assists and tied for 12th in all of hockey in points as he has recorded 78 points (21 goals, 57 assists) and added nine points in his last four games. 

On the defensive side of things, Chicago is giving up 2.74 goals on 32.4 shots thus far. Goaltender Kevin Lankinen is currently struggling in the net as the starter as he is just 4-8-5 with 3.50 goals allowed per game and an .889 save percentage. 

Tampa Bay has been leaning on the production of center Steven Stamkos this year as he is 23rd in the sport in goals, tied for 31st in the league in assists, and tied for 18th in the NHL in points as he has produced 70 points (29 goals, 41 assists) while posting four points in his previous three games. 

As a team, they are averaging 3.28 goals on 30.2 shots so far. Goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy has been a very good player as he is 33-14-4 with a .920 save percentage and 2.36 goals allowed per game. The Lightning defense has done pretty well as they are holding their opponents to 2.74 goals on 29.9 shot attempts right now. 

Chicago Blackhawks at Tampa Bay Lightning Betting Prediction

There is a reason why the Chicago Blackhawks are playing out the rest of the regular season with nothing to play for and the Tampa Bay Lightning are trying for a three-peat. The difference is their previous five games is on the defensive side of the ice as the Blackhawks are allowing 4.4 goals per game in their previous five games while the Lightning are giving up 2.2 goals per game in their last five games. 

All in all, go with the Tampa Bay Lightning to cover the puck line in this game. 

* All odds provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.