The Montreal Canadiens Travel to Tampa Bay to Battle the Lightning

The Montreal Canadiens will travel to Amalie Arena on Saturday evening to take on the back-to-back Stanley Cup Champion Tampa Bay Lightning in an Atlantic Division game. This will be the third and final game between these opponents, with the Lightning winning both games, including a 5-4 overtime home win on December 28. Montreal is last in the Atlantic Division (18-37-11, 47 points), while Tampa Bay is second in the Atlantic Division (41-18-6, 88 points) this season. 

Both games have been decided by a single goal this season, so it will be an exciting matchup to look at. Let’s take a closer look at the Montreal Canadiens and the Tampa Bay Lightning to determine the best bet for this game. 

Game Preview: Montreal Canadiens at Tampa Bay Lightning

Center Nick Suzuki has been struggling a bit for the Canadiens this season as he is scoring 49 points (18 goals, 31 assists) while adding three points in his last three games. As an offense, they are averaging 2.53 goals on 29.7 shots thus far. 

Goaltender Sam Montembeault has been struggling thus far as he is 7-13-6 with 3.64 goals allowed per game and an .895 save percentage right now. On the defensive side of things, Montreal is allowing 3.71 goals on 34.2 shot attempts right now. 

Tampa Bay is doing exceptionally well on the offensive side of the ice as they are scoring 3.28 goals on 30.2 shot attempts this season. Center Steven Stamkos has been doing well as he is tied for 23rd in the league in goals, tied for 31st in the NHL in assists, and tied for 18th in all of hockey in points as he has posted 70 points (29 goals, 41 assists) with an additional four points in his previous three games. 

Defensively, the Lightning are giving up 2.74 goals on 29.9 shots up to this point. Goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy has been doing extremely well as he is 33-14-4 with a .920 save percentage and 2.36 goals allowed per game. 

Montreal Canadiens at Tampa Bay Lightning Betting Prediction

There is a gigantic difference in the skill level between the Canadiens and the Lightning. Looking at the defensive side of things lately, Montreal is allowing three goals in their previous four games while Tampa Bay is giving up just 1.8 goals in their last five games. 

There are also a bunch of injuries on the Montreal side of things, so that will hurt their chances. Steven Stamkos has been playing well, and he will be able to score well and be a huge threat offensively. All in all, go with the Tampa Bay Lightning to cover the puck line at home against an inferior franchise right now.   

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

* 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.