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Free NHL Hockey Prediction: Blues vs Lightning NHL Odds
Looking for St. Louis Blues vs. Tampa Bay Lightning free hockey plays & NHL Odds? NHL betting sees the Blues taking on the Lightning on Thursday December 22nd at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. Cappers Picks provides complimentary expert handicapping picks on all NHL Hockey matchups all season long so stay tuned for more FREE daily NHL hockey predictions.
(18-11-5) St. Louis Blues vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (16-14-3)
Date: Thursday, December 22nd
Time: 7:30PM EST
Venue: Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida
NHL Hockey Moneyline Odds: Off
NHL Hockey Puck Line Odds: OFF as of 7:40pm ET Wednesday
NHL Betting Total: 5
Live NHL Odds
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Fresh off an overtime win against the Dallas Star, the St. Louis Blues head down to Tampa, Florida to take on the Lightning on Thursday night.
The Lightning are coming off a Tuesday night win over the Detroit Red Wings, snapping a two-game losing streak, and are looking to get another win at home.
St. Louis Blues
December has been an up and down month for the Blues. At 5-4-2 on the month, the Blues have alternated between playing great hockey and extremely poor hockey.
They’ve lost two in a row twice already this month and have given up 35 goals in 11 games, a 3.18 average per game.
And the road hasn’t been kind to the Blues at all this year. The team is 5-9-1 away from home ice on the season, including some really poor defensive efforts.
They’ve given up eigh goals to Columbus, six to Dallas and Nashville, and a 5-0 shutout loss to the Rangers.
It’s not hard to see why the Blues rank 21nd in the NHL in goals against (98) and are a minus-2 differential on the year.
Yet, the offense continues to flourish and bail them out of games. Vladimir Tarasenko has 38 points on the year, including two goals and four assists in his last five contests.
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The 8th ranked team in goals scored will have to see its defensive effort improve in order to beat Tampa Bay at home.
If its solid offense can get going and Tarasenko can put the puck near the net, the Blues should get it done.
Tampa Bay Lightning
December hasn’t really been kind to the Lightning either. At 3-4-2 this month, the Lightning continue to struggle without their leader and best player, Steven Stamkos.
The injury bug has bitten the rest of the team as well, with Nikita Kucherov heading to the injured reserve, Ondrej Palat missing the last three games, and now goalie Ben Bishop potentially out with a lower body injury.
It’s tough being a member of the Lightning right now, that’s for sure.
If netminder Ben Bishop cannot go on Thursday night, it will be backup Andrei Vasilevskiy getting the start.
The 22-year old hasn’t played bad this season. At 7-4-1 on the year, he has a .923 save percentage and a 2.41 goals against average.
These are numbers that, on paper, are better than Bishop’s but you have to remember that Bishop is playing all of the difficult games.
That being said, don’t count the Lightning out against the Blues solely based on who’s in goal. Tampa should be fine in that department.
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Tampa will have to play through these injuries and find a way to win matchups on both sides of the ice.
If the Blues offense gets going, the Lightning will have a tough time keeping up with them.
NHL Betting Trends:
- St. Louis is 3-10 ATS in its last 13 games
- The Total has gone OVER in four of Tampa’s last five games
Free St. Louis Blues vs. Tampa Bay Lightning NHL Hockey Prediction:
St. Louis is just bad on the road. It’s hard to bet on them outside of Scottrade. However, with all of the injuries to key players on Tampa, I think the Blues have the advantage.
4* Free NHL Betting Pick: There’s no line yet. Final score play posted below.
Blues take the W.
NHL Free Score Prediction: St. Louis 3 – Tampa Bay 2
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