Dylan Larkin, Gustav Nyquist, and the Detroit Red Wings will face off against Brayden Point, Nikita Kucherov, and the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena in an Atlantic Division matchup. The match will get underway at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 9 and it is being shown live on Fox Sports Detroit.
Detroit Red Wings vs. Tampa Bay Lightning Odds
The Lightning (-450) are currently favored over the Red Wings (+350), and the Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 7 goals (-110 for the over, -110 for the under).
Earning 22.7 units for moneyline bettors, Tampa Bay is 51-17 straight up (SU) overall this year. That winning percentage, ranked first in the NHL in this young season, is an improvement over the 54-28 record from the 2017-18 season campaign. Of its 68 games this season, 34 have gone over the total, while 31 have gone under and just three have pushed. This season, the team is 28-8 SU at home.
The Lightning come into the matchup with the second-best power-play unit in the NHL, as they’ve scored on 29.1 percent of their extra-man opportunities this season. On the other hand, their penalty kill is ranked first overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 85.6 percent of all penalties.
With a .931 save percentage and 30.4 saves per game, Andrei Vasilevskiy (31-12-4) has been the principal goalkeeper for Tampa Bay this season. If head coach Jon Cooper decides to give him a rest, however, Tampa Bay may turn to Louis Domingue (19-5-5 record, .908 save percentage, 2.92 goals against average).
In the other locker room, Detroit is 24-43 straight up (SU) and has lost 8.8 units for moneyline bettors thus far. Through 67 regular season outings, 33 of its games have gone under the total, while 32 have gone over and just two have pushed. The Red Wings are 11-21 SU as the visiting team this season.
The Red Wings have converted on just 16.6 percent of their power play chances this year, a mark that places them in the bottom-10 overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 26th overall and it’s successfully killed off 77.7 percent of all opponent power plays.
Jimmy Howard (.909 save percentage and 2.95 goals against average) has been the primary option in goal for Detroit. Howard is averaging 27.5 saves per game and has 18 wins, 27 losses, and seven overtime losses to his credit.
Detroit Red Wings vs. Tampa Bay Lightning Free Picks
Free NHL Tip: SU Winner – Lightning, O/U – Under
Betting Trends
- Two of the Lightning’ last ten games have ended in a shootout. The team is 2-0 in those games and 6-1 overall in shootouts this season.
- The total has gone under in three of Tampa Bay’s last five games.
- Over Detroit’s last ten games, four of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 0-4 in those games).
- The Bolts this season have dished out the sixth-most hits per game in the NHL (25.4).
