Lightning Renew NHL Playoff Push as Flames Rebuild
Flames vs Lightning Odds: Tampa Bay Opens as -155 Favorite
As the calendar flips to March, the push for the NHL playoffs is on. No strangers to postseason success, the Tampa Bay Lightning find themselves firmly in the mix in the Eastern Conference. However, the Lightning’s recent slide has raised some doubts about their ceiling.
Next up for Tampa Bay is a visit from Calgary on Thursday (7 p.m. ET). The Lighting opened as -1.5 favorites on the puck line at +160 odds and -155 on the moneyline. Meanwhile, the Flames are +1.5 at -192 odds and +130 to win outright. Oddsmakers pegged the Over/Under at 6.5.
What can bettors expect? Read on as we break down both hockey teams and assess the Flames vs Lightning odds in our NHL game preview.
Flames vs Lightning 
Day/Time:
Location: Amalie Arena; Tampa, Fla.
Streaming: NHLPP/ESPN+
Flames vs Lightning Betting Trends
The Calgary Flames are 30-31 against the puck line, including 16-14 away from home. As for the Over/Under, the Flames’ record is 34-35-2. Meanwhile, the Tampa Bay Lightning are 30-33 against the puck line, including 16-15 at home. The Lightning’s games have also trended toward the Under, as their record is 29-30-4.
Be sure to remember these betting trends when assessing the Flames vs Lightning odds.
Calgary Starting Early on Deadline Moves
The Flames are trending in the right direction as the NHL trade deadline approaches, having won five of their last six games. Despite that, the Flames (30-26-5) still sit on the outside of the playoff picture, eight points behind Nashville (73 points) for the eighth and final seed in the Western Conference.
The Flames’ five-game win streak came to a halt Monday in a 4-2 loss to the Seattle Kraken. They squandered a pair of goals by Andrei Kuzmenko.
Oddsmakers have not shown much faith in the Flames, pricing them -650 to miss the playoffs. Two teams — St. Louis and Seattle — stand between them and Nashville in the hockey standings, hence the skepticism.
On top of that, the Flames have already begun to retool their roster ahead of Friday’s deadline. Last week, they shipped defenseman Chris Tanev to Dallas as part of a three-team deal. According to hockey rumors, defenseman Noah Hanifin and goalie Jacob Markstrom are also candidates to be dealt within the coming days.
The Flames have a trio of 20-goal scorers in Blake Coleman (25), Yegor Sharangovich (23) and Nazem Kadri (22). However, they have struggled to generate consistent offense (3.1 goals/game) and rank 27th in the league in power play (14.7%). Meanwhile, they are fourth in penalty kill (83.3%).
Calgary has gone Over the total in five of its last six games, improving its record against the Over/Under to 34-35-2. Bettors should keep that in mind when analyzing the Flames vs Lightning odds.
Lightning Slipping, But Sticking Around
The Lightning have sputtered of late, losing five of their last eight NHL games to drop into a three-way tie for sixth in the Eastern Conference. Along with Detroit and Philadelphia, the Lightning (33-24-6, 72 points) have a four-point lead on the Islanders for one of the conference’s final three playoff spots.
Tampa Bay halted its two-game slide with a 4-3 shootout victory over Montreal on Saturday. The Lightning overcame deficits of 2-0 in the second period and 3-2 in the third. Tyler Motte’s shorthanded goal tied it with 10:18 remaining.
While Tampa Bay has made the Stanley Cup Finals in three of the last four seasons, getting back seems daunting. The Lightning are currently +1200 to win the East and +2500 to win the Stanley Cup, one of 13 teams with 25/1 NHL championship odds or better.
Led by right wing and Hart Trophy contender Nikita Kucherov — who is tied with Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon with an NHL-leading 105 points (38 goals, 67 assists) — the Lightning rank seventh in the league in scoring (3.3 goals/game) and have the top-rated power play (28.7%). Their 54 power-play goals are second to only Florida’s 56.
Four Lightning besides Kucherov have registered 50 points or more: Brayden Point (65), Brandon Hagel (60), Victor Hedman (60) and Steven Stamkos (52). However, Hedman is the only one among those NHL scoring leaders with a plus/minus of +5 or better.
Meanwhile, former Vezina winner Andrei Vasilevskiy remains formidable in net despite a career-low 2.98 goals-against average.
Handicapping the Game
This is the second of two regular-season meetings between the teams. Calgary won 4-2 on Dec. 16 at Scotiabank Saddledome for just its third win in the last nine tries against Tampa Bay.
Now Calgary heads to Tampa Bay, where the Lightning are 19-8-4 but just 1-4 OU over their last five games. On the hockey season, the Lightning are 16-15 ATS at home.
Calgary is playing better at the moment, but that could change with the trade deadline upon us. Markstrom, who owns a 2.61 GAA, is a particularly interesting name to watch. He was rumored to be on the move to New Jersey last week before negotiations between the teams fell apart.
Any trade will surely impact Thursday’s betting lines.
For NHL scores, betting odds, analysis and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
