Tampa Bay enjoyed a surprising season in 2013-2014, recording 101 points and a playoff berth after finishing second in the Atlantic Division. They were swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Montreal Canadiens. It was their first playoff appearance since 2011. Detroit is dealing with an injury to Pavel Datsyuk, who will miss his second straight game on Sunday evening. This is a divisional game for these two teams, with Tampa Bay sitting in first with Montreal and Detroit sitting right behind them. We like the Lightning to win this contest.
With this being an Atlantic Division game, the Lightning can put a little bit of distance between them and the Red Wings. Tampa Bay has opened the season with 10 wins in 14 games played, which is good for 21 points. Ben Bishop has been nearly unbeatable in net this year, posting a record of 8-1-1 with a goals against average of 2.41. The Lightning come into today on a five-game win streak, scoring four goals in the first period in their most recent victory.
The Red Wings can move to within one point of first place on Sunday with a regulation victory over the Lightning. Detroit enters today’s game following a win, which snapped a short, three-game losing streak for the Red Wings. In the last 10 games that Detroit has played with Datsyuk, they have a record of 7-2-1. Winning Sunday without him could be incredibly difficult, especially against Tampa Bay.
When the Lightning host the Red Wings on Sunday evening, we will use the odds found at Bovada.lv to place our bet. Tampa Bay’s offense is one of the best in the league this year, which is why we like them to win this game against Detroit. We are going to put our money down on the Lightning to outright win this contest and add two more points to their total.
