Washington Capitals vs Tampa Bay Lightning 08/03/2020 NHL Spread, Game Analysis and Betting Odds

Washington Capitals vs Tampa Bay Lightning 08/03/2020 – The Tampa bay Lightning and the Washington Capitals will make their way back to the rink on Monday after nearly five months of suspended play on ice. The match will be held inside the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto at 4:00 PM Eastern Time. It will be shown live at NBCSN with simultaneous streaming at NHL.TV and SofaScore. Each team is holding a secured spot in the Eastern Conference’s top four ladder looking for a decent seeding for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Lightning are pegged as the favorites to win with a -125 money line price based on the latest NHL Betting Lines as the Capitals are tagged to defy a +115 underdog price.  

Washington Capitals vs Tampa Bay Lightning 08/03/2020

When: Monday, August 3, 4:00 PM ET

Where: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Ontario

TV: NBCSN

Stream: NHL.TV

Washington Capitals vs Tampa Bay Lightning 08/03/2020 Betting Odds:

Team	PUCKLINE	TOTAL	ML
Washington Capitals	+1.5 (-220)	6.5 o (+110)	+115
Tampa Bay Lightning	-1.5 (+195)	6.5 u (-130)	-125

A week in the Bubble is in the books!

Come take a look behind-the-scenes at life for the Capitals in Toronto.

Our first episode of 2020 #ALLCAPS All-Access, presented by @pepsi pic.twitter.com/ljplJRZJ0Q

— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) August 2, 2020

Washington Capitals

Washington Capitals will begin their quest at the season restart minus one weapon as backup Ilya Samsonov is reported to be out for the rest of the year after the 23-year old failed his physical and was forced to stay in Russia. Goaltending is expected to be crucial for Washington as they aim for a deep Playoff run; hence, Samsonov’s absence would definitely be a telling factor in their campaign. Despite this, Alex Ovechkin is expected to gather the troops. The veteran captain showed flashes of brilliance as he collected two goals and an assist in Wednesday’s 3-2 exhibition win over Carolina. 

Players to watch: John Carlson (G 15, A 60, PTS 75), Alex Ovechkin (G 48, A 19, PTS 67), Nicklas Backstrom (G 12, A 42, PTS 54).

Tampa Bay Lightning

The Lightning was about to host the Philadelphia Flyers when the NHL decided to suspend the season indefinitely due to the Coronavirus threat. Tampa Bay is ahead of Washington by just two points at second place in the Eastern Conference raceway closer than the gap built by Boston, which is ahead by eight points at the top. But if their lone tune-up game against Florida was any indication, then the Lightning should be one of the teams to watch out for in the restart. With a 5-0 shutout of the Panthers on Thursday, Tampa Bay has flaunted that the team is indeed ready to wreak havoc as the round-robin round begins. 

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

Washington Capitals vs Tampa Bay Lightning Betting Predictions

Trends

Capitals

The total has gone OVER in 4 of Washington’s last 5 games.
Washington is 5-10 SU in their last 15 games.
Capitals are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games against Tampa Bay.
Washington is 2-6 SU in their last 8 games on the road.
Washington is 5-2 SU in their last 7 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay.

Lightning

The total has gone OVER in 9 of Tampa Bay’s last 12 games.
Lightning is 3-7 SU in their last 10 games.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Tampa Bay’s last 6 games against Washington.
Tampa Bay is 13-3 SU in their last 16 games at home.
Lightning is is 2-5 SU in their last 7 games when playing at home against Washington.

Capitals vs Lightning Betting Picks

Tune-up games are now over and every succeeding will now start to matter. There is no more playing around for Tampa Bay as the team shifts its gear to set the tone at the start of the round-robin tournament. The Lightning will live up to its tag as favorites as they are poised to prevail over the Washington Capitals in their first game of the restart. 

Score Prediction: Capitals 2, Lightning.