Tampa Bay Lightning vs Boston Bruins 08/05/2020 NHL Predictions, Odds & Picks

Tampa Bay Lightning vs Boston Bruins 08/05/2020 – The Boston Bruins hope to regain their old lethal selves when they face the Tampa Bay Lightning for their second game in the NHL’s round-robin round ahead of the Stanley Cup Playoffs first round. Coming off a shocking defeat in their first game from the hiatus, the best team in the league will gun for a bounce-back inside the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto at 4:00 PM Eastern Time. The showdown between these two East powerhouse teams will be broadcasted on NBC and streamed on NHL.TV and SofaScore. Despite Boston’s motivation to make up for the previous loss, the NHL Vegas Odds deem its joust with Tampa Bay with the Lightning as an evenly matched affair with each team tagged with a -111 price to win.

Tampa Bay Lightning vs Boston Bruins 08/05/2020

When: Wednesday, August 5, 4:00 PM ET

Where: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Ontario

TV: NBCSN

Stream: NHL.TV

Tampa Bay Lightning vs Boston Bruins 08/05/2020 Betting Odds:

Team	PUCKLINE	TOTAL	ML
Tampa Bay Lightning	+1.5 (-333)	5.5 o (-132)	-111
Boston Bruins	-1.5 (+257)	5.5 u (+107)	-111

🎥 Coop's morning media included notes on Bogo pairing with Heddy, ruled out Stamkos for tomorrow's game vs. Boston, and talked the goalie schedule for the next two round robin games. pic.twitter.com/u8hWqRzXOP

— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) August 4, 2020

Tampa Bay Lightning

Tampa Bay Lightning has shown all season long that the team has what it takes to compete – and defeat – the top-seeded Bruins. The Lightning holds the latter’s number this year, winning three of four encounters, including a 5-3 win days before the NHL declared the hiatus in March. Unlike Boston, Tampa Bay took care of business in their first assignment since the break, defeating the Washington Capitals on Monday, 3-2, to cross out their first win in the round-robin round. After avoiding a complete meltdown to survive Washington, Tampa Bay will try to gear up with better composure as they go up against a more intimidating force that is Boston. 

Players to watch: Nikita Kucherov (GP 68, G 33, A 52, PTS 85), Steven Stamkos (GP 57, G 29, A 37, PTS 66), Brayden Point (GP 66, G 25, A 39, PTS 64).

Boston Bruins

The Bruins did not look like the team the reigned supreme in the NHL this season as dropped their first match against the Philadelphia Flyers in their return on Sunday, 4-1. The result was awful that the team needed to reflect and find their identity that seemed lost when the league suspended the games due to the pandemic. Good news for Boston, though, is the return of prized goaltender Tuukka Rask, who has been held in quarantine in his hotel room due to COVID-19 concerns. 

Players to watch: David Pastrnak (GP 70, G 48, A 47, PTS 95), Brad Marchand (GP 70, G 28, A 59, PTS 87), Patrice Bergeron (GP 61, G 31, A 25, PTS 56).

Tampa Bay Lightning vs Boston Bruins Betting Predictions

Trends

Lightning

Lightning is 45-11 in their last 56 vs. Atlantic.
Lightning are 4-1 in their last 5 playoff games as an underdog.
Lightning is 82-22 in their last 104 when their opponent scores 2 goals or less in their previous game.
Under is 5-1 in Lightning last 6 games as an underdog.
Over is 5-1-1 in Lightning last 7 Wednesday games.

Bruins

Bruins are 4-1 in their last 5 games following a home loss of 3 or more goals.
Boston is 4-1 in their last 5 Wednesday games.
Bruins are 4-1 in their last 5 vs. Atlantic.
Under is 4-0 in Bruins last 4 playoff games as a favorite.
Under is 7-0 in Boston last 7 Wednesday games.

Lightning vs Bruins Betting Picks

There’s no way the top team in the league is going to lose two straight even in a technically non-bearing game. The Bruins will go back and forth with the Lightning in this joust but count on Boston to escape with the win. It will be a tight contest but the Bruins will make sure to deny another setback. 

Score Prediction: Lightning 3, Bruins 4.