After what was arguably the strangest night of the NHL season to date, we at least have a loaded 10-game slate tonight. There were just 4 games last night, and the first 3 of them were shutouts. They were all road teams, 2 of which were underdogs. It was truly one of those inexplicable nights that also make hockey great. Regardless, we're back with our favorite and most valuable plays tonight. We're hoping that the road trend doesn't continue as we're backing teams on home ice, but let's dive into why.
Along with our NHL mega parlay, be sure to check out all of our NHL picks for today's action.
Tampa Bay Lightning -1.5 (-155) over Columbus Blue Jackets
Leading things off is the least shocking of your plays. That can be seen immediately by the expensive price even on the puck line. However, it's very much warranted given the mismatch. The Lightning are the 2nd-highest scoring team on home ice, while the Blue Jackets are the worst team in the Eastern Conference. Columbus has also already been smashed by the worst team in the entire NHL – the Chicago Blackhawks – by a final of 5-2. That game was actually just shortly after losing to the Lightning by a final of 4-1.'
Therefore, it's no surprise that this game is listed with the rare Tampa -2.5 puck line on some sportsbooks. The Jackets are actually coming off of arguably their best weekend of the season, and they're still coming off a shutout loss. Holding the Washington Capitals to just 1 goal was the impressive part, but still a loss regardless. Either way, Tampa has already defeated Columbus by finals of 5-2 and 4-1 this year and will be back at home after 2 road losses and 4 days of rest, so expect a storm to roll over the Jacket tonight.