NHL Best Bets: Lightning Will Strike Again vs. Canadiens

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

After a New Year’s Day that featured just one game, the Winter Classic, the NHL returns with a 12-game slate on Thursday night. The white-hot Lightning head to Montreal to face a Canadiens team on a three-game losing streak, the Blues and Avalanche meet in a battle of two of the Central Division’s best and the Flyers will try to turn their luck around in Vegas against the Golden Knights.

There’s plenty to wager on, but let’s take a closer look at two games in particular. Here are my two best bets for Thursday:

Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Montreal Canadiens: Lightning (-135)

As mentioned in the intro, the Lightning are on fire right now. They’ve won four in a row and are 7-2-1 in their last 10 games. They’ve also won 12 consecutive divisional games and will try to make that lucky number 13 on Thursday night. How did that Atlantic Division run begin? With a 3-1 victory over the Canadiens in Montreal in mid-October. Tampa Bay also beat the Canadiens five days ago at home 5-4.

Montreal, on the other hand, is scuffling. It has lost three in a row and four of five to end its season-long seven-game road trip. However, it’s reasonable to expect an energy boost after returning home for the first time since Dec. 14. Still, this is a mismatch.

The Lightning are 10th in the NHL in road goals, scoring 3.18 per game this season. They’re scoring at will right now, potting 19 goals in the last four games. The Canadiens are 20th in the NHL in home goals, averaging 3.00 per game, and have just 24 goals in total in their last nine home contests.

Expect Tampa Bay to continue to roll and win its fifth consecutive game.

Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Boston Bruins: Bruins -1.5 (+120)

The Bruins are starting to turn things around after a 1-4-4 slide from Dec. 5-21. They’re 3-0-1 in their last four games and have a great opportunity to add to the win column at home against a Columbus team rolling out an inexperienced goaltender making his 10th career start.

Elvis Merzlikins was forced into starting action following an injury to Joonas Korpisalo. He earned his first career victory with a strong performance against the Panthers on New Year’s Eve, but has been really shaky otherwise. In his eight road starts this season, Merzlikins is 0-4-3 with a 3.68 goals-against average and an .879 save percentage. His task on Thursday night is slowing down a Bruins team scoring an average of 3.43 goals per game at home this season, ninth-best in the NHL.

Boston counters with Tuukka Rask, who is one of the best goaltenders in the NHL and has been playing really well over the last month and a half with a 2.44 goals-against average and a .920 save percentage since Nov. 15. Columbus ranks 22nd in the NHL with an average of 2.56 goals per game on the road.

Boston should stay hot and win this game by multiple goals.

Season Record: 19-14-1 (+4.2 units)