Tampa Bay Lightning vs St. Louis Blues: Predictions, Odds and Roster Notes

Where: Enterprise Center – St. Louis, MO.

When: Saturday, March 23, 8PM EST.

How (TV/Radio): FoxSports (midwest), SunSports | KMOX, WDAE, WFAN

Tampa Bay Lightning (Away)

Head Coach: Jon Cooper {All-Time 299-156-44 TBL}

The Tampa Bay Lightning have been dominant all season long, going 56-13-4 and, at the time of writing, find themselves 8-2-0 in their last ten games and on a five-game winning streak. The Lightning also have a road record of 25-7-2 and have looked essentially unbeatable all year.

In terms of offensive, the Lightning rank first-place overall in the entire league in goals scored – averaging nearly four goals per game. They also have the first overall shooting percentage and the first overall powerplay unit. They are ninth overall in the league when it comes to winning faceoffs and 13th in shots on goal.

Things are a little more evenly matched between the two teams defensively. Tampa Bay also has the league’s best penalty kill and ranks fourth overall in fewest goals against. However, St. Louis plays a disciplined game and ranks third in the league for fewest shots against. And sixth for fewest goals allowed. With a strong checking blue line and a goaltender like Jordan Binnington to go up against, Tampa Bay will have to rely heavily on their speed and ability to pepper pucks at the net.

It is expected that goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy will get the start for the Tampa Bay Lightning. Vasilevskiy has a mind-blowing record of 35-8-4 this season with a goals against average of 2.26 and a save percentage of .930. At the time of writing, Vasilevskiy has recorded six shutouts.

St. Louis Blues (Home)

Head Coach: Craig Berube {All-Time 106-76-33 STL, PHI}

The St. Louis Blues currently find themselves in the third-place spot in the Central division with 84 points – only two points above the first wildcard position currently held by the Dallas Stars. They are 38-27-8 so far this season and have gone an even 4-4-2 in their last ten games. They are 18-15-2 at home.

The biggest advantages for the Blues come on the defensive end. Goaltender Jordan Binnington continues to be a shining light for the team, having a goals against average of under two. They also allow a significantly lower number of shots on goal. Their penalty kill is ranked eighth in the league and they take fewer penalties than their opponents on average.

Offensively, St. Louis will have their work cut out for them as they run with the middle of the pack in most statistics. The Blues are 18th in the league in goals scored, 15th in shots on goal, 14th on the powerplay, 15th in faceoff wins, and 17th in shooting percentage.

Young superstar Jordan Binnington is expected to get the nod for the St. Louis Blues in this game. Binnington has gone 18-4-1 on the season with a goals against average of 1.78 and a save percentage of .930. He has five shutouts on the season.

These two teams last faced off on February 7. The St. Louis Blues came out victorious in a hard-fought battle. The final score was 1-0.

What’s At Stake?

The Tampa Bay Lightning were the first team this season to secure a playoff berth. They are also all but uncatchable when it comes to taking this year’s President’s Trophy as the team with the highest record of the season. This was a history-making year for the Bolts and there is basically nothing at stake this late in the season.

The St. Louis Blues, however, sit only two points above a wildcard spot. They need to keep winning to stay in the playoff picture. That said, the Blues have come a long way since the trade deadline and have been able to play a smart, strong, and disciplined game.

Questions to answer

Can the St. Louis Blues keep the league’s strongest offense in check? Can young goaltender Jordan Binnington stand tall against one of the highest shooting, highest scoring teams in the league?

Can the Tampa Bay Lightning stay composed and continue to dominate this season – even on the road?

Will the Blues be able to take advantage of potential defensive holes left by the absence of Tampa Bay’s Dan Girardi and Anton Stralman?

Tampa Bay Lightning Injury Report

D Dan Girardi – day-to-day (lower-body)

D Anton Stralman – day-to-day (lower-body)

St. Louis Blues Injury Report

F Sammy Blais – day-to-day (undisclosed)

D Joel Edmundson – day-to-day (lower-body)

D Carl Gunnarsson – IR (upper-body)

F Erik Foley – IR (concussion)

Tampa Bay Lightning at St. Louis Blues Predictions and Odds

The odds will be updated as they are made available.