NHL Best Bets (March 7): Who Has the Edge in Lightning vs. Bruins Showdown?

There's plenty of NHL action for bettors on Saturday. Check out our three best bets, including who has the advantage when the Lightning face off against the Bruins.

Now into the final month of the NHL regular season - playoff-style hockey is being played across the league. The ten-game Saturday slate features Atlantic Division leaders Boston and Tampa Bay squaring off in a marquee matchup. 

New Jersey at New York and Columbus at Edmonton are also featured in today's best bets.

Tampa Bay Lightning at Boston Bruins

Puck Line: Bruins -1.5 (+185) | Lighting +1.5 (-215)
Moneyline: Bruins (-135) | Lightning (+115)
Goal Total 5.5: OVER +100 | UNDER -120
Game Details: 7:00 p.m. ET – TD Garden in Boston, MA
Records To Date: Tampa Bay 42-20-5 | Boston 43-13-12

Atlantic Division rivals clash when the Lightning and Bruins meet on Saturday night. Tampa Bay trails Boston by nine points in the race for the top spot in the Eastern Conference playoff standings. Following an impressive eleven-game winning streak, the Lightning have been outscored by a 26-20 margin during a 2-5-0 losing skid. Closing out a five-game homestand, Tampa Bay last played on Thursday and posted a 4-0 win at home over the Montreal Canadiens. 

Boston enters this game eight points clear of St. Louis in the race for first overall and #1 in the SI power rankings. The Bruins are on a 15-3-0 roll and return home after winning three straight on the road. Boston defeated the NY Islanders 4-1, the Lightning 2-1, and then closed the road trip with 2-1 OT win against the Panthers on Thursday night. With an NHL best 22-3-9 record at home, including a 5-1 recent run at TD Garden, the Bruins are tough to beat in Boston.

Lightning vs. Bruins Final Thoughts and Prediction

Losing second-leading scorer Steven Stamkos, who is out 6-8 weeks with a core muscle injury, is a significant hit to the Tampa Bay offense. Top chalk to claim the Stanley Cup, with +500 futures odds ten days ago, the Lightning have fallen to third favorites behind Boston and St. Louis. Nikita Kucherov had a personal 19-game point streak snapped during the loss to Boston. Kucherov will miss Stamkos, who has set up 13 of the 32 goals he has scored this season.

Prior to the loss on Tuesday, Tampa Bay won 3-2 at home and 4-3 (SO) in Boston during the first two meetings this season. Led by the goaltending tandem of Tuukka Rask (25-7-6) and Jaroslav Halak (18-6-6), Boston ranks first overall on defense, allowing 2.38 goals per game. The Bruins can crank it up on offense as well as they rank ninth with 3.26 GPG. Tampa Bay ranks first scoring 3.48 GPG on offense and seventh overall allowing 2.76 GPG on defense.

Pick: Boston Bruins (-135)

New Jersey Devils at New York Rangers

Puck Line: Rangers -1.5 (+130) | Devils +1.5 (-150)
Moneyline: Rangers (-200) | Devils (+175)
Goal Total 6: OVER -120 | UNDER +100
Game Details: 7:00 p.m. ET – Madison Square Garden in New York, NY
Records To Date: New Jersey 27-28-12 | New York 36-27-4

These Metropolitan Division rivals meet when the Devils visit the Rangers. Nearing playoff elimination, New Jersey is playing out the string but has been competitive while posting a 9-4-2 recent record. The Devils are playing on back-to-back nights (with travel) following a 4-2 win at home over St. Louis on Friday. New Jersey is 6-6-1 during the second of two straight contests this season. Struggling as visitors recently, the Devils are 1-4-2 over the last seven road games.

Despite sitting sixth in the Metropolitan Division, New York is only two points behind the Islanders in the race for the second Eastern Conference wild-card position. The Rangers snapped a three-game losing skid with a 6-5 OT win at home over Washington during their last game on Thursday. Mika Zibanejad had five goals during the wild win. That was preceded by two losses to Philadelphia, 5-2 on the road and 5-3 at home, and a 3-1 loss at home to St. Louis.

Devils vs. Rangers Final Thoughts and Prediction

Struggling at both ends of the ice, New Jersey ranks bottom seven, scoring 2.64 GPG on offense and bottom four, giving up 3.21 GPG on defense. The Devils have outscored their last nine opponents by a 19-17 final count, and the goal total exceeds five in just one of those contests. New York is sixth, scoring 3.33 GPG on offense, but need to improve on the 3.12 GPG they are allowing on defense. Seven or more goals were scored in seven of the Rangers' last nine games.

This is the final meeting of the season, and New York holds a 2-1 series lead. The Devils won the first game, 5-2 at home in October, before the Rangers posting a 4-0 victory in New Jersey and a 6-3 win at home. New York is 18-15-2 at home overall this season while New Jersey is 14-18-12 on the road. Winning by a 20-9 margin, The Rangers have covered the puck line during the last four games at home versus the Devils. Bet on that trend continuing in this contest.

Pick: New York Rangers -1.5 (+130)

Columbus Blue Jackets at Edmonton Oilers

Puck Line: Oilers -1.5 (+175) | Blue Jackets +1.5 (-200)
Moneyline: Oilers (-150) | Blue Jackets (+130)
Goal Total 5.5: OVER -120 | UNDER +110
Game Details: 10:00 p.m. ET – Rogers Place in Edmonton, AB, CA
Records To Date: Columbus 32-21-15 | Edmonton 36-24-8

Columbus visits Edmonton following a 3-2 OT loss in Calgary on Wednesday. Led by Coach of the Year candidate John Tortorella, the Blue Jackets are one-point ahead of the Islanders and three points clear of the Rangers in the Eastern Conference wild card race. Playing a lot of close contests recently, Columbus is 2-4-6 over the last twelve games. Following a 4-3 win in Montreal, on February 2, the Blue Jackets are 0-2-4 over the previous six road games.

Edmonton returns home following the three-game road trip. The Oilers pounded the Predators 8-3 in Nashville, posted a 2-1 OT win in Dallas, and then lost 4-3 to the Blackhawks in Chicago during their last game on Thursday. Leon Draisaitl (11) and Connor McDavid (8) have posted 19 points over the last four games. Edmonton is two points behind the Vegas Golden Knights and one point ahead of the Calgary Flames in the Pacific Division playoff standings.

Blue Jackets vs. Oilers Final Thoughts and Prediction

This is the second of two meetings this season after Edmonton won 4-1 in Columbus back in October. That was the Oilers' third straight win over the Blue Jackets after they won 4-1 at home and 4-0 on the road last year. Columbus is stout on defense, ranking fourth allowing 2.62 GPG, but sit bottom five scorings just 2.60 GPG on offense. The Oilers numbers are higher in both categories as Edmonton averages 3.16 GPG on offense and allow 3.04 GPG on defense.

Columbus is 12-9-11 overall as visitors this season, and the Blue Jackets 11 OT losses are the most by a road team since 2014-15 when Edmonton and Philadelphia both lost 11 games in extra time. Ottawa is second with just six OT road losses this year. Edmonton has posted a 3-1-1 record during its last five home games, and the Oilers are 16-10-5 overall as hosts this year. With the Blue Jackets struggling to post wins on the road, bet on the Oilers winning straight up here.

Pick: Edmonton Oilers (-150)

MORE FROM SI

Duke vs. UNC: Betting Line, Preview and Best Bets

UFC 248 Betting & DFS Preview

XFL Week 5 Lines and Sharp Plays

The 2020 AL Cy Young Is Gerrit Cole's to Lose...And He Will