Lightning vs Bruins Prediction, Pick, Odds, and Player Props

• The Tampa Bay Lighting are -125 road favorites vs the Boston Bruins in Saturday afternoon hockey

• The Lightning are looking to complete a 4-game regular season sweep of their Atlantic Division rivals

• See my Lightning vs Bruins prediction, odds and player props below

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The formula for the Boston Bruins (43-26-10, 28-10-1 home) to lock in a playoff berth is simple: beat the Tampa Bay Lightning (48-25-6, 23-12-5 away) on Saturday afternoon.

That’s something Boston has failed to do three previous times this season, part of the reason they are home underdogs in the NHL odds..

Action gets underway at 12:30pm ET from TD Garden in Boston, with ABC carrying the national broadcast.

Read on as I offer my betting prediction, share the latest odds and a few of my favorite player props.

Lightning vs Bruins Prediction

• Pick: Bruins ML (+105 at bet365)

There’s a lot that needs to go sideways before Boston starts fretting about missing the playoffs. They enter the day as the first Wild Card entrant in the East with 96 points, five clear of the teams on the outside looking in.

Still, their play as been erratic down the stretch. They dropped a 6-5 OT decision last time out in Carolina, dropping them to a rough 0-2-2 in their last four games.

The good news is that the Bruins have finally broken out of its scoring funk, as they had tallied three total goals in their previous three games. But for a team that ranks 20th in goals against, it’s not a good formula when they’re 12th-ranked scoring offense sputters.

Boston has plenty to straighten out, including a power play that’s hit on just one of nine chances over the last four games. Getting Jeremy Swayman right should also be a priority. He’s now winless in three starts, getting shelled and pulled after giving up five goals to the Hurricanes.

The good news is Tampa isn’t exactly going gangbusters right now either. The Lighting lost a crucial 2-1 tilt Thursday to Montreal, with the Habs taking second in the Atlantic.

The Lighting still have a shot at first in the division, as they trail Buffalo by four and Montreal by two, but they will need to win out and get some major help to slide by the competition.

Unfortunately, no matter how poorly the Bruins are playing right now, trying to beat them on home ice is not an easy task, and the main reason I am taking the Boston moneyline in my Lightning vs Bruins prediction.

Boston is a whopping 16-2-1 at TD Garden in its last 19, and their 28-10-1 record on home ice trails only the Hurricanes for most home wins in the East.

Tampa is tied for the most road wins in the East at 23-12-5 — and their last trip to Beantown did result in a 6-5 win in a shootout — but they have been stuck at that number for a while dropping four straight road games.

With their offense going pop-gun on this slide, look for the Bruins to finally clinch their spot in the postseason.

Lightning vs Bruins Odds

Odds as of April 11. The interactive table above will automatically update as the NHL odds move over the course of the day.

Tampa checks in as the betting favorite in this one, getting -125 odds on the moneyline, while Boston winning outright pays out at +105 odds, both from bet365.

On the puckline, the Bruins getting that 1.5-goal cushion comes tied with -225 odds, while the Lightning winning by multiple goals pays out at a healthier +210.

Over bettors should head to bet365 if interested in wagering the total, as its set at six goals. Under bettors might be better suited to take FanDuel’s total which checks in at 6.5 goals

Lightning vs Bruins Player Props

• Elias Lindholm Over 0.5 Points (+105 at bet365): Lindholm picked up a goal in Boston’s loss to the Hurricanes. He’s been especially clutch for the Bruins as home underdogs, as the Swedish center has recorded at least a point in that scenario in nine straight games.

• Charlie McAvoy Over 0.5 Points (-148 at FanDuel): Let’s stick with Boston, but on the blueline with McAvoy, who picked up a pair of assists against Carolina, breaking a 3-game pointless drought. He’s been a scoring machine at home of late, recording at least a point in 12 of Boston’s last 15 home games. His play rises against top-tier comp too: McAvoy has an assist in 10 of his last 13 vs teams with a winning record.