The Tampa Bay Lighting took a 3-1 series lead after downing the Boston Bruins in overtime of Game 4 on Friday, 4-3. Will the Bruins extend their life in these playoffs? Or will the Lighting finish the job and advance to the Western Conference finals?
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Boston Bruins vs Tampa Bay Lightning NHL Stanley Cup Eastern Conference Playoffs Series Game 5 on May 6, 2018
When: Amalie Arena, Tampa
When: Sunday, May 6, 3:00 PM ET
Line: Boston Bruins (point spread) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (point spread) – view all NBA lines
TV Broadcast: NBC
Betting on the Boston Bruins (+1.5)
It’s not an easy task for Bruins netminder Tuukka Rask to shut the Lightning’s offense down. That’s why he needs extra help from Boston’s blue line to limit Tampa Bay’s attacks. He got just that in Game 4, as, for the first time in the series, Boston took more shots on goal than the Lightning, 32-28. However, Rask just could not get the job done. He allowed four goals on only 28 shots faced in Game 4. Boston’s special team failed to shut the Lighting’s power play attack – again. Tampa Bay went 1-for-4 on the man advantage, as Boston has yet to silence the Bolts’ power play in this series. Tampa Bay has scored at least a power play goal in each of the past four games. The series is not yet over, but Boston will have to play topnotch hockey in a do-or-die game on the road this Sunday.
The under is 2-1-1 in Boston’s last four road games.
Betting on the Tampa Bay Lightning (-1.5)
The funny thing – or perhaps the scary one – about the Lighting is that they are smothering Boston’s defense even with their top line only having two goals (both empty-netters) entering Game 4. Well, that line of J.T. Miller, Steven Stamkos, and Nikita Kucherov finally scored a meaningful goal in Game 4, when Kucherov found the back of the net for the first time in the series in the first period. What that also means is that most of the Bolts’ damage in this series have so far been done by the secondary lines. The Lightning have outscored the Bruins 12-6 in the last three games, and if Kucherov’s goal was a sign for what’s to come from Tampa Bay, then it does not bode well for the Bruins.
The Lightning are 6-1 in their last seven home games.
Writer’s Prediction
Tampa Bay ends the series with a 4-3 win.
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