The Tampa Bay Lightning (30-20-4) travel to face off against the Montreal Canadiens (25-25-5) on Sunday, February 9th. This game will be played at Bell Centre in Montreal and televised on NHLN. Both the Lightning and Canadiens will be looking to bounce back from losses in their previous games. Puck drop is scheduled for 1:00 ET.

Lightning vs Canadiens

The Tampa Bay Lightning Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

Tampa Bay fell to 30-20-4 after a 7-4 loss to the Jets. The Lightning led 2-0 in the first period, but Winnipeg scored seven of the next nine goals. The total for the game was set at 6.5 goals, and the combined 11 goals easily surpassed that mark. Tampa Bay was the underdog on the puck line, failing to cover.

Four different Lightning players found the net in the loss. Brandon Hagel scored first at 13:11 in the opening period. Tampa Bay’s defense struggled in the third period, giving up four goals, including two empty-netters.

The Montreal Canadiens Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

Montreal fell below .500 with a 3-1 road loss to the Penguins, bringing their record to 25-25-5. The Canadiens were underdogs on the puck line and the total was set at 6.5 goals, but the combined score of 4 fell short of that mark.

After trailing 2-0, Montreal got on the board in the third period with a goal from Christian Dvorak. The Penguins sealed the game with an empty-net goal at 19:15 in the third.

Tampa Bay Offense Breakdown

In their 7-4 loss to the Jets, the Lightning fired 30 shots on goal, with four different players finding the net. Brandon Hagel opened the scoring with his 7th goal of the season, and Brayden Point followed with his 8th, which came on a power play. Mitchell Chaffee added his 4th goal, while Nikita Kucherov netted his 10th, unassisted in the third period.

Tampa Bay scored twice in the first period, added a third goal in the second, and tied the game 4-4 with 13:09 left in the third. The Lightning had 8 giveaways and finished with 4 assists.

Canadiens Offense Breakdown

Montreal’s offense struggled in their 3-1 loss to Pittsburgh, with Christian Dvorak scoring his first goal of the season at 14:28 in the third period. The Canadiens fired 26 shots on goal but were held scoreless until Dvorak found the net.

Juraj Slafkovsky picked up his 7th assist on Dvorak’s goal, while Emil Heineman recorded his first assist of the season. The Canadiens were plagued by 20 giveaways in the game.

Tampa Bay Team Defense

After tying the game at 4-4, Tampa Bay’s defense gave up three late goals, including two empty-netters, resulting in a 7-4 loss to the Jets. Jonas Johansson made 27 saves with an 84.4% save percentage, while the defense recorded 6 takeaways and 16 hits.

Montreal Team Defense

Montreal’s defense gave up the first two goals in their previous game, with both coming from Sidney Crosby. The first was at 15:57 of the first period, and the second, a power-play goal, came at 18:40 in the second. After the Canadiens cut the deficit to 2-1 in the third, they conceded an empty-net goal with 45 seconds left, leading to a 3-1 loss. Sam Montembeault made 21 saves with a 91.3% save percentage, while the defense recorded 4 takeaways and 28 hits.

Lightning vs Canadiens Trends

• Through their last five road contests, the Lightning offense has averaged 3 goals per game while allowing an average of 3. Tampa Bay posted an overall record of 2-3 while going 1-4 ATS.
• Through their last five home games, Montreal has an puck line record of just 2-3. However, their overall record was 1-4 while averaging 1 goals per game.
• Looking back on the team’s last three games as the underdog, the Canadiens have a straight up record of 0-3. Their record vs the puck line in these games was 0-3.
• In their last five games as the betting favorite, the Lightning have a strong straight up record of 4-1. In addition, their puck line record was 3-2 in these scenarios.

Lightning vs Canadiens Prediction

When it comes to a moneyline wager, I’m going with the Canadiens to defeat the Lightning while playing at home. Given the current moneyline odds at +129, I’m placing a wager on the Canadiens to win outright.

If you’re looking to get a bet down on this matchup, we foresee the Canadiens winning the underdog. However, if you’re not as confident in the Canadiens straight-up, we’d still recommend placing a bet on them to cover the puck line.

With an over/under line sitting at 6.5 goals, we like this game to surpass that mark and recommend getting a bet down on the over.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are 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.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.