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Tampa Bay Lightning (37-22-4) at Carolina Hurricanes (38-22-4)
Date: Tuesday, March 11
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN+, Hulu, Disney+
I don’t like to make a point of mentioning when I’m on a roll because it always backfires. But you know what? I deserve to let the folks know I’m making them a profit at the moment.
Tampa Bay is coming off an embarrassing 4-0 home loss at Boston. The beatdown was surprising because the Bruins just traded away their captain, and the Lightning tooled up at the deadline.
Carolina is on a roll, having won four in a row. The Hurricanes dealt Mikko Rantanen to Dallas for two first-rounders plus “All Name Team” member Logan Stankoven, and “The Stank” promptly scored in his debut in a 4-2 victory over Winnipeg, the Western Conference leader.
The pick — Lightning ML (+105, BetMGM)
So why take Tampa on the moneyline?
All four of Carolina’s wins on its current streak were by one goal except for the Jets game, which was aided by an empty-netter. So the Hurricanes aren’t exactly destroying teams. Plus, I think the high of the new additions gave the ‘Canes a boost against Winnipeg.
The Lightning are a veteran bunch that’s battling for home ice in the first round of the playoffs. They also won both matchups against Carolina. Call it a “heat check,” but I’m taking the road team to score the upset.
Season record: 22-18-2, +5.8 units