It’s the battle of the beaches tonight as the Tampa Bay Lightning continue their West Coast road trip with a game against an Anaheim Ducks team whose number they’ve had the last two years. But the Lightning have struggled without their captain, Steven Stamkos, and they could also be without the services of Victor Hedman tonight as he’s dealing with an illness.
- The Lightning are 4-0 in their last 4 games against the Ducks.
- The Ducks are 8-3 in their last 11 games at home.
- The Lightning are 2-7 in their last 9 games on the road against teams with winning records.
If their de facto captain is ruled out, you can pretty much rule out the Lightning. Hedman plays an average of 24.5 minutes per game and is second only to Nikita Kucherov for the team lead in points. Anton Stralman is the only other d-man who plays over 20 minutes a game for the Lightning so he’ll have to play a heavily elevated role if the younger of the two Swedes is unable to suit up.
The Ducks have been an excellent home team this year, posting a 6-2-1 record at the Honda Center against teams from the Eastern Conference. Their penalty kill has been incredible the last few games and could be the key to a win tonight as they haven’t given up a power-play goal in five games.
The Lightning lead the league in power-play goals this year and have scored a higher percentage of their total goals on the PP than any other team. If they get shut out with the man advantage in Anaheim, they likely don’t have a chance.
Tampa Bay Lightning vs Anaheim Ducks Matchup
Team Betting Records & Power Rankings
The Anaheim Ducks currently sport a record of 24-13-9. The Tampa Bay Lightning are 21-20-4. Betting totals have seen the Ducks post a 14-19-13 OVER/UNDER record this season, while the Lightning have gone 22-18-5 against the number. Stay Informed: follow us on Twitter for odds specials, betting line moves and Anaheim vs Tampa Bay injuries news.
The Anaheim Ducks sit at No. 18 in the current NHL power poll here at Odds Shark, while the Tampa Bay Lightning sit at a No. 16 on the same chart.
Statistical Matchup
Offensively, the game matches up the Anaheim Ducks No. 17-ranked offense (2.67 goals per game) against a Tampa Bay Lightning defense that ranks No. 23 at 2.96 goals per game allowed. The Ducks Sportsbook has clicked at a 20.81% rate while the Lightning have a 80.26% rate on the penalty kill.
Recent Outings Betting Recap
Tampa Bay won its last outing, a 2-1 result against the Kings on January 16. Bettors who backed the Lightning at +112 on the moneyline won on the day, and the total score (3) sent UNDER bettors to the payout window.
Anaheim was a 2-1 loser in its last match at home against the Blues. They lost as favorites, while the total score of 3 made Sportsbooks of UNDER bettors.
- Tampa Bay is 3-8 ATS in its last 11 games
- Tampa Bay is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games
- The total has gone OVER in 5 of Tampa Bay's last 7 games
- Tampa Bay is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
- Anaheim is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games
- The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Anaheim's last 7 games
- Anaheim is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games at home
- Anaheim is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games at home
Next Betting Matchups
Tampa Bay at San Jose, Thursday, January 19th
Anaheim home to Colorado, Thursday, January 19th
