Tampa Bay 8-3 ATS During Winning Streak, Travel to Vegas Where Golden Knights on 0-5 ATS Skid
- Tampa Bay Lightning visit Vegas as favorites to record a franchise-record 12th straight win
- Lightning have regularly rewarded sports bettors during streak, while Golden Knights have struggled to dominate
- Get the odds, analysis and best bet for tonight’s game here
The Tampa Bay Lightning will be aiming to extend their franchise-record winning streak to 12 games when they visit the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday night as -130 favorites in the Lightning vs Golden Knights odds.
Tampa Bay Lightning vs Vegas Golden Knights Odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline Odds | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tampa Bay Lightning | -1.5 (+200) | -130 | O 6.0 (-120) |
| Vegas Golden Knights | +1.5 (-240) | +110 | U 6.0 (+100) |
Odds taken Feb. 20
Lightning Soaring in NHL Futures
Now sporting a league-leading 40 wins, Tampa Bay’s resurgence has lifted the club to within three points of the Boston Bruins in the hunt for top spot in the Atlantic Division standings and returned them to their familiar perch atop the Stanley Cup odds as strengthening +450 favorites going into Thursday’s Lightning vs Golden Knights clash at T-Mobile Arena.
Tampa Bay Lightning over their last 25 games:
•22-2-1
•92 goals for, 46 goals against
•67-29 5v5 goal differential
•19 regulation wins
•Haven’t lost in regulation with Andrei Vasilevskiy in net
•Yes I’m aware it didn’t work out for them last season but this is still good— Dimitri Filipovic (@DimFilipovic) February 15, 2020
The Lightning have powered their current surge with stingy defense, surrendering two or fewer goals in eight of their 11 recent victories. In addition to creating a boon for sports bettors taking the “Under” in totals betting, which has gone 6-2-1 over the past nine contests, the Lightning have also emerged as a steady bet against the spread, posting ATS wins in eight of their past 11 contests.
Mixed Results in the Desert
But while six of Tampa Bay’s recent victories have come on the road, so have their recent ATS losses, with the club going 3-3 ATS during that stretch, capped by a narrow 4-3 victory in Colorado as -120 chalk on Monday night.
Tampa Bay's 4-2 #hockey victory over the Vegas Golden Knights, the first in franchise history at AMALIE Arena over Vegas, won't make the season-ending highlight reel as one of the Lightning's better performances of the season…https://t.co/gYsEDusuwQ pic.twitter.com/aeqBxsFkFs
— Dennis Chighisola (@CoachChic) February 5, 2020
The Lightning won and covered in a 4-2 victory as -170 home favorites when the Golden Knights visited Amalie Arena back on February 4. And past meetings in the desert between these two clubs have proven to be close affairs, with each team earning a one-goal victory over their two previous clashes since Vegas entered the NHL two seasons ago.
Vegas Winning, But Not Dominating
Currently deadlocked with the Vancouver Canucks in second place in the Pacific Division standings, one point back of the Edmonton Oilers, the Golden Knights remain +175 favorites to claim the divisional crown. Vegas has kept itself in the hunt with a trio of one-goal victories during its current homestand, putting the brakes on a shaky 4-7-2 run that threatened to dump the team out of the playoff picture in the Western Conference.
"It's going to make for a very interesting end of February and March."
Nate Schmidt talks about the Pacific Division standings. @GoldenKnights | #NHLNow pic.twitter.com/LSocMoyCw7
— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) February 14, 2020
The Golden Knights would like to rewrite that narrative with a big victory, something that has eluded the club in recent outings. Pegged as a +105 home underdog in Thursday’s contest, Vegas finds itself mired in a 0-5 ATS run. But while the club has failed to reward fearless sports bettors taking them against the spread, they have managed to earn valuable points during a three-game win streak.
Consistent Offense Eluding Golden Knights
The club also turned in strong defensive performances in its past two outings, surrendering just two total goals in victories over the visiting New York. Islanders and Washington Capitals. However, steady offensive production has eluded the Golden Knights, who have scored more than three goals on just three occasions over their past 16 contests, and lead only the Nashville Predators with a dismal 22-38 ATS record on the season.
Here’s Max Pacioretty postgame on the confidence coming back for #VegasBorn at the right time pic.twitter.com/Gxazi7gbVR
— Jon Castagnino (@JonCastagnino) February 18, 2020
Max Pacioretty has been one of the bright spots on the Vegas attack, potting six goals and two assists over his past eight games, but has failed to record a points in three clashes with the Lightning since arriving in the desert from Montreal, and has potted just seven total goals in his last 26 overall appearances against Tampa Bay.
While Pacioretty will once again be looked to by Vegas to spark the offense, the Golden Knights’ lack of consistent secondary scoring is likely to be a massive problem against a Lightning squad firing on all cylinders at both ends of the ice, adding value to a +200 wager on Tampa Bay to once again cover the spread on Thursday night.
Picks: Lightning -1.5 (+200); Under 6.0 (+100)
Daniel has been writing about sports and sports betting for over 23 years. The seasoned pro has contributed to the likes of Sports Illustrated, Sportsnet, NESN, Bleacher Report, OddsShark, the Globe and Mail, and The Nation magazine.
