Tampa Bay Lightning at New Jersey Devils 

By Sam Batz

Two playoff hopefuls prepare for battle as the Tampa Bay Lightning gear up to face the New Jersey Devils on Thursday, March 16th (7:00 PM EST, NHLPP/ESPN+). The two Eastern Conference sides squared off for the first time this season on Tuesday, March 14th, which ended 4-1 in favor of Tampa Bay. Now, they face off in the second game of a back-to-back matchup in New Jersey’s Prudential Center arena. In the first matchup, the Devils scored their lone goal in the first 6 minutes of the opening period, but failed to light the lamp again after 23 shots on goal. The Lightning came roaring back after New Jersey’s opening score, putting one away at the end of the first period, and burying three in the back of the Devil’s net in the second period. Tampa Bay looked great on Tuesday, yet they are the underdogs for Thursday’s rematch, with the Lightning’s moneyline set at +115, while the Devil’s are priced at -136. 

Tampa Bay Lightning Breakdown (+115)

The Tampa Bay Lightning are 40-22-6 with 86 points. They are 3rd in the Atlantic Division and are tied for 5th in the Eastern Conference with the New York Rangers. The Boston Bruins have the Atlantic locked-up, but the Lightning continue to chase the Toronto Maple Leafs (88 points) for the 2nd place spot in the division. Tampa Bay has 14 games left on the schedule, but after winning just 3 out of their last 10 games, haven’t done themselves any favors in the race for 2nd place. The Lightning would certainly like to be a top-two seed in the division, but even if they don’t catch the Maple Leafs, they still have a good chance to make the playoffs, though where they end up in the seeding will remain a mystery. 

New Jersey Devils Breakdown (-136)

The New Jersey Devils are 44-17-6 with 94 points. They are 2nd in Metropolitan Division and 3rd in the Eastern Conference. The Devils, just like the Lighting, also trail a divisional opponent by 2 points, however New Jersey is fighting for the top spot. New Jersey, while not mathematically guaranteed, will almost certainly make the playoffs, but will want the top spot in the division for the better seeding. Even though they blundered the first matchup with Tampa Bay, the Devils remain the favorites for Thursday’s contest, which shouldn’t come as a surprise, as New Jersey has won 7 of their last 10 games, have a better goal differential, and lead the Lightning by 8 points. 

Lightning vs. Devils: Season Stats

Tampa Bay Lightning (40-22-6) 86 235 (4th) 205 (14th) +30 3.46 (6th) 3.01 (14th) 24-6-5 (68.6%) 16-16-1 (48.5%)

Stat Type Pts Total GF Total GA G Diff GF/GP GA/GP Home (Win-rate) Away (Win-rate)

New Jersey Devils (44-17-6) 94 234 (T-5th) 178 (4th) +56 3.49 (T-4th) 2.66 (4th) 19-13-2 (55.9%) 25-4-4 (75.6%)

Lightning vs. Devils: Odds

Team	Spread (Current)	Total (Current)	Moneyline (Current)
Tampa Bay Lightning	+1.5 (-215)	Ov 6.5 (-110)	+115
New Jersey Devils	-1.5 (-185)	Un 6.5 (-110)	-136

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Lightning vs. Devils: Betting Trends

Tampa Bay Lightning 31-37 12-21 (Away) 15-21 (vs. East) 34-26-8 5-4-1 4-10-0 (as Underdogs) 3-10-0 (Underdogs Away)

Betting Trend ATS (Season) ATS (Home/Away) ATS (Conference) O/U (Season) O/U (Last 10) ML (Favorite/Underdog) ML (Home/Away)

New Jersey Devils 34-33 13-21 (Home) 19-19 (vs. East) 32-31-4 6-4 31-14-4 (as Favorites) 18-11-1 (Favorites Home)

Lightning vs. Devils: Key Players

 Tampa Bay Lightning – Nikita Kucherov (Right Wing): Kucherov leads the team with 96 points (27 goals, 69 assists), the 3rd-most points in the NHL by a single player. He has the 2nd-most assists in the league, averaging 1.01 assists per game on the year. Kucherov has 17 assists in 19 games against the Devils over his career. The man is a passing machine, and I predict he will record at least 1 assist against New Jersey on Thursday. 

New Jersey Devils – Jack Hughes (Center): The first overall draft pick from 2019 leads the Devils with 80 points (37 goals, 43 assists). He is the only Devil to record 30+ goals thus far, and in his last 10 games, Hughes averaged 0.9 points per game (2 goals, 7 assists). He is clearly the talisman of New Jersey’s offense and I predict he will record at least 1 point against Tampa Bay on Thursday. 

Lightning vs. Devils: Game Prediction

I think the New Jersey Devils (-136) will win this rematch. Despite the fact New Jersey is being given a 99% chance to make the playoffs, the Devils still have a lot to play for, and won’t be satisfied sitting back and coasting to the postseason. They want that top-seed in the division. The Lightning are a great team, and they proved that against the Devils on Tuesday, but they won’t win back-to-back games against a New Jersey side who ranks in the top-five for goals scored, goals against, goals per game, and goal differential. Tampa Bay has a lot to play for as well, and this will be a tightly contested matchup with a postseason-like energy, but the Devils are too good to drop two in a row against the same opponent, and will be out for revenge after the loss to Tampa Bay in their first meeting. 

 Prediction: New Jersey Devils (-136) Moneyline and the Over (6.5). Final score: 5-3

 

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