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Lightning vs Penguins October 23; Bolts Winners of Three-Straight vs Pens at Amalie Arena

Brady Trettenero

by Brady Trettenero in NHL Hockey

Updated Apr 6, 2020 · 11:06 AM PDT

Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos
Steven Stamkos and the Tampa Bay Lightning will look to continue their trend of beating Pittsburgh at Amalie Arena when the Penguins visit on October 23. Photo by Michael Miller (Wikimedia Commons).
  • The Lightning host the Penguins on Wednesday, October 23, 2019
  • Tampa have won three-straight over Pittsburgh at home
  • See the odds for tonight’s game below

The Tampa Bay Lightning continue a three-game homestand when they host the Pittsburgh Penguins at Amalie Arena on Wednesday, October 23 (8:00 PM ET). The Bolts have made some line changes as they look to rebound from a 6-2 loss to Colorado on Saturday.

The Penguins suffered a 4-2 loss to Florida on Tuesday night and will be looking to snap a three-game losing streak to Tampa Bay at Amalie Arena.

The Lightning are being listed as -225 home favorites against a Pittsburgh team playing in the second half of a back-to-back.

How should you bet on the Lightning vs Penguins odds?

Lightning vs Penguins Odds

Team Moneyline Puckline Total
Tampa Bay Lightning -225 -1.5 (EVEN) U 6.5 (+110)
Pittsburgh Penguins +185 +1.5 (-120) O 6.5 (-130)

Odds taken October 22, 2019

Lightning Make Line Changes

The Tampa Bay Lightning have made changes to their lineup after losing 6-2 to the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday. Coach Jon Cooper has placed superstar forward Nikita Kucherov on the third line in an attempt to get him going. The Russian forward led the NHL with 128 points last season but has managed just two assists in his last four games.

The Lightning were the best team in the NHL regular season last year and they’re going to want to start proving they’re a team to beat again. When the coach mixes the lines, it usually serves as a wake-up call that the performance on the ice isn’t cutting it. The Bolts are going to be hungry to make a statement at home after getting embarrassed by Colorado in their last outing.

Bolts Dominant at Home

The Lightning were almost unbeatable on home ice last season. They were 32-7-2 at Amalie Arena in 2018-19 and are the only team in the NHL who are yet to play three home games this season. Getting in a consistent stretch of play in front of their home fans could be what really kicks this team into gear.

Aside from the loss to Colorado, the Lightning looked great in their other home appearance this season, beating Florida 5-2. This team was dominant at home all throughout last season and you shouldn’t read too much into that loss to a potential Stanley Cup contending Avalanche squad. The Bolts actually outshot the Avs 46-24 in the game and just couldn’t solve a red-hot Pavel Francouz.

The Lightning have won three straight games against the Penguins at Amalie Arena, including a 5-4 victory last year. The Lightning got scoring from all over their lineup in the victory and held Penguins captain Sidney Crosby to just one assist. Pittsburgh’s top offensive producer in that game, Bryan Rust, will be out with a hand injury for this game.

Penguins on Back-to-Back

Pittsburgh is going to be tired heading into this game after playing in Florida on Tuesday night. The Penguins suffered a close 4-2 loss at the hands of the Panthers to fall to 6-4-0 on the season. The Penguins have now lost two straight games after going on a five-game winning streak.

YouTube video

Not only is Pittsburgh playing the second half of a back-to-back, but the Pens are dealing with a multitude of injuries. Forwards Evgeni Malkin, Alex Galchenyuk, Bryan Rust and Nick Bjugstad are still out with injury and won’t be playing Wednesday. If the Tampa Bay offense that led the NHL in scoring last season with 3.89 goals per game plays anywhere close to their potential, this game shouldn’t be close.

Pittsburgh will be turning to their backup goaltender in Tristan Jarry, while the well-rested Lightning will have their regular starting goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy. Jarry only has two appearances under his belt this season and faced under 30 shots in each of those contests. The Bolts have the potential to break out offensively and pile up the shots on goal against the inexperienced youngster.

Bolts Puckline

This game comes at the perfect time for the Lightning. The Bolts need to bounce back at home after an embarrassing loss and get to face a banged up Penguins team who they’ve had success against in the past .

The Lightning are better than what we’ve seen this season, and these new line combinations should provide the necessary spark to get these talented players going.

The Penguins played Tuesday night and are turning to a backup goalie with just two appearances this season. Take the Lightning to win by two on the puckline.

Pick: Tampa Bay Lightning  (-1.5)

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