Amalie Arena will play host to an Eastern Conference clash as the New Jersey Devils travel to Tampa Bay to meet the Lightning. The opening face-off is at 7:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, October 30, and fans at home are able to watch it live on MSG Network.
New Jersey Devils at Tampa Bay Lightning Odds
Tampa Bay enters the contest as the noticeable favorite with a -155 moneyline. The line for New Jersey sits at +135 and the Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 6 goals. The line for betting the total stands at -125 for the over and +105 for the under.
The Lightning are 7-3 straight up (SU) and have netted moneyline bettors 1.6 units this season. That winning percentage, ranked second in the league in this young season, hasn’t moved much from the 54-28 record the team managed during last year’s regular season campaign. Six of the team’s 10 outings have gone under the total, while four have gone over and none have pushed. This season, the team’s 4-1 SU at home.
Tampa Bay’s converted on 26.3 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked first overall, and it’s successfully killed off 95.1 percent of all penalties.
Tampa Bay, as a collective unit, has been penalized 4.4 times per game this season. Last year, that number was at 4.1, the fifth-highest figure in the league. After serving an average of 9.6 penalty minutes per game a season ago the team’s had to stave off opponent power plays for 9.5 minutes per matchup this year.
Averaging 29.3 saves per game with a .940 save percentage, Andrei Vasilevskiy (5-2-1) has been the principal goalkeeper for the Lightning this year. If they choose to give him the night off, however, head coach Jon Cooper could turn to Louis Domingue (2-1-1 record, .887 save percentage, 4.00 goals against average).
The Bolts will continue to look for offensive production out of Brayden Point and J.T. Miller. Point (nine points) has produced six goals and three assists and has recorded multiple points in two different games this year. Miller has three goals and six assists to his credit and has notched at least one point in five games.
On the visitors’ side of the ice, New Jersey is 5-3 straight up (SU) and has netted 1.6 units for moneyline bettors this season. A total of four of its outings have gone over the total, while another four have gone under the total and none have pushed.
New Jersey’s recorded a goal on 25.7 percent of its power play chances this year after converting on 21.0 percent of its extra-man opportunities last season (a figure that was right at league average). The team’s gone from successfully defending 81.2 percent of opponent power plays (ranked 10th overall last season) to 87.9 percent this year.
New Jersey’s players have been penalized 5.1 times per game this season, a number that’s risen noticeably from the 3.8 penalties per game given up last year. After serving an average of 9.1 penalty minutes per game a season ago the team has had to kill penalties for 11.0 minutes per matchup this year.
Keith Kinkaid (26.4 saves per game) has been the primary choice in the net for New Jersey. Kinkaid owns a 5-3-1 record, and has registered a .925 save percentage and 2.12 goals against average this year.
Kyle Palmieri (eight goals, five assists) and Taylor Hall (two goals, nine assists) have been the top playmakers for New Jersey and will pace the attack for the visiting Devils.
New Jersey Devils at Tampa Bay Lightning Free Picks
Free Prediction: SU Winner – Lightning, O/U – Under
Betting Notes
- The total has gone over in three of Tampa Bay’s last five games.
- New Jersey has managed 21.0 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while Tampa Bay is averaging 30.4 shots per game over its last five home outings.
- The Lightning are 6-0 SU when they serve more penalty minutes than their opponent while the Devils are 1-3 SU in games where they serve more minutes than the opposition.
- After going 6-2 in games decided by a shootout last year, Tampa Bay is off to a 1-0 start in shootouts this season. New Jersey was 5-4 in shootouts last year and has yet to participate in one this time around.
