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Bruins vs. Lightning Odds, Picks, Predictions: Expect a Close Checking Game in Tampa Bay

Scott Cullen

January 26, 2023 2:43 PM EST • 3 min 20 sec read.

Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy makes a save.
TAMPA, FLORIDA - JANUARY 13: Andrei Vasilevskiy #88 of the Tampa Bay Lightning makes a save during a game against the Vancouver Canucks at Amalie Arena on January 13, 2022 in Tampa, Florida. Photo by Mike Ehrmann / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP.

Thursday offers up a premier matchup when the league-leading Boston Bruins visit the Tampa Bay Lightning. Read on for our best Bruins vs. Lightning pick based on top odds.

Playing at a historically great level, the Bruins are 10-1 in the past 11 games and have 80 points in 47 games – putting them a dozen points clear of the rest of the league.

The Lightning were a mediocre 7-6-1 to start the season, but have gone an impressive 23-9 since. Tampa Bay is controlling 57.5% of all-situations goals in the past 32 games, ranking third in that span behind only Boston and Toronto.

The top of the Atlantic Division is a war zone.

Here is our best Bruins vs. Lightning NHL pick (odds via DraftKings Sportsbook; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

Check out our NHL best bets.

Bruins vs. Lightning game info

  • Date: Thursday, Jan. 26, 7 p.m. ET
  • TV: ESPN+, Sportsnet, TVAS, BSSUN, NESN
  • Location: Amalie Arena, Tampa, FL

Bruins vs. Lightning odds

Check out our complete list of NHL odds!

Bruins vs. Lightning odds analysis

The FanDuel moneyline opened with the Lightning at -134, compared to the Bruins at +112. That didn't last long; with 62% of the consensus moneyline wagers on the Bruins, the line has shifted dramatically to Boston -113/Tampa Bay -106.

The total opened at 6 and moved to 6.5 for a while on Thursday morning before coming back down to 6. The opening price was -112 for the Over and -108 for the Under.

With 55% of the consensus action on the Under, the price for the total to go Under 6 is now -118, while the Over is -104.

Check out our Stanley Cup odds!

Bruins vs. Lightning pick

Bruins-Lightning Under 6 (+100) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thursday's tilt between two of the top five teams in the consensus Stanley Cup odds – neither of whom easily surrender time and space on the ice – should be an intriguing one.

The Bruins are the top dogs in the league, while the Lightning, who have gone to three straight Stanley Cup Finals, are assuredly set to meet Thursday's challenge head-on.

Boston has a 16-4-1 record on the road, which ranks second, while Tampa Bay is 18-4-1 at home, the third-best mark in the league.

The Bruins are allowing a league-best 2.22 goals against per 60 minutes on the road, and starting goaltender Linus Ullmark has been even better than that. Ullmark has a .938 save percentage and 1.90 goals against average away from TD Garden, and leads the league with 13.35 Goals Saved Above Expected in 16 road games.

Boston is a dominant team, with scoring talent and elite defenders, but Ullmark has become a Vezina Trophy favorite because of his consistently outstanding play.

Tampa Bay can be stingy on home ice, too. Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy has a .921 save percentage and 2.50 goals against average at home, with 8.41 Goals Saved Above Expected in 18 games at Amalie Arena.

Check out our Norris Trophy odds.

Bruins vs. Lightning Best Odds

DraftKings, BetMGM, Caesars, PointsBet (+100)

DraftKingsFanDuelBetMGMCaesarsPointsBet
Under 6Under 6Under 6Under 6Under 6
+100-104 ❄️+100+100+100 

The majority of top-rated sportsbooks have settled at a similar price for the total in this Bruins-Lightning matchup, with the Under coming in at even money compared with the Over at +120. FanDuel is charging a little more for the Under than the rest of the market.

Certainly, catching the total when it bounced up to 6.5 for a brief time would have been ideal, but the Under is still the clearly superior option in a matchup featuring two highly competitive teams – and two elite goaltenders to match.

Bruins-Lightning pick made 1/26/2023 at 2 p.m. ET.

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Written By:
Scott Cullen
Scott Cullen is SportsbookReview.com's Sports Betting Analyst and is one of the most well-known sports betting writers on the web. He wrote about fantasy sports for TSN for many years, and he has also written for The Athletic, NHL.com, The Hockey News, Monkey Knife Fight, and McKeen's Hockey. Born in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, Cullen was an Economics major at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario and played for the Laurier Golden Hawks hockey team.