Tampa Bay vs Montreal Prediction: the Lightning Should Stop the Canadiens

Prediction for the NHL-1 match between Tampa Bay vs Montreal, which will take place on December 30th. Who will turn out to be stronger? Check the teams' conditions! Several betting options are available.

Tampa Bay is looking pretty good at the moment. The Lightning has dropped a lot of points, but they have stabilised recently, winning eight of their last ten games. After the break, John Cooper's men also managed to please their fans with a 6-2 thrashing of the Rangers. Tampa Bay are still only seventh in the Eastern Conference with 42 points, but if they keep up this good form, they'll soon be at the top.

Montreal has been surprising recently. It's clear that even an underdog can have a great game from time to time, but Martin Saint-Louis's men have been inconsistent on the road. With 33 points, they're 14th in the Eastern Conference, so it's almost unrealistic to think they'll get a wild card. After three victories, Montreal had a good game against Columbus (4-5) and after the break, they sensationally beat Florida 4-0.

We don't think Montreal will have enough to take on Tampa Bay. However, the Canadiens have an underdog mentality, and their winning streak is not without a bit of luck. The Lightning, on the other hand, is aiming high and things have started to look up for them recently, with stability finally starting to show in their results. We're not making this up and are backing the home side to win this one outright, as they are simply the better team.