Tampa Bay vs Nashville: Did the Lightning Defeat Nashville as They Beat Toronto?

Tampa Bay smashed Toronto 8:1 and will host Nashville. Will the Predators suffer the same fate as the Maple Leafs? We'll choose several options for betting.

In defeating Toronto, the final score matters. Some time ago, the Lightning lost to the Maple Leafs on the road, 2:6. So 8:1 on Amalie Arena is not just a rematch, but a rematch with a margin. John Cooper's team once again confirmed that a third straight Stanley Cup is not some fantasy, but a very realistic outcome for today's Tampa Bay.

Vasilevskiy, Kucherov and Sergachev are in fifth place in the Eastern Conference standings, six points back of the top-4, three points ahead of sixth Boston.

Unlike Tampa Bay, the Predators are fighting for a playoff spot at the end of the regular season, not the final conference seed. John Hynes' team ranks seventh in the West, four points ahead of the ninth-Vegas. The Predators still have a lot of work to do to make it to the postseason.

In the last game, Nashville got an important win, handling Calgary, one of the leaders of the West, on home arena - 3:2 in the shootout.

Tampa Bay is probably still hoping to catch up with the New York Rangers in the standings and finish the regular season in the East's top-4. 

• Tampa Bay is the sixth defense of the season with a 2.75 goals on average.
• Nashville has not yet secured a playoff spot.
• The first faceoff of the season between the rivals took place outdoors in Nashville and ended in a 3:2 victory for Tampa Bay.

Nashville has a different task at the end of the regular season. John Hynes' team is trying to stay in the Western Conference playoff zone. The motivation of both squads is giving in the upcoming game a TU, as it did in the first head-to-head encounter of the season. Both Cooper and Hynes place a lot of emphasis on playing defensively. The Lightning and the Predators have true professionals in goal, Andrei Vasilevskiy, and Juuse Saros. Prediction: Asian total under.