Lightning or Bruins in Heavyweight Matchup on Wednesday?

What: Boston Bruins vs Tampa Bay Lightning
When: Wednesday, March 27th, 7:30 PM ET
Where: Amalie Arena, Tampa

Two of the best teams in the East will clash in one of two games in the NHL on Wednesday as the Boston Bruins head down south to face the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena. The puck is scheduled to drop at 7:30 PM ET here. Boston, who is second in the Atlantic Division, have lost back-to-back games and will be hungry to get back on track here as they look to overtake top spot from the Florida Panthers. Tampa meanwhile, who leads the Wild Card race, just beat the lowly Anaheim Ducks in overtime on Sunday evening and has been hot over the last few weeks. This should be a highly entertaining one between a pair of contenders. Below, find the Bruins vs Lightning picks.

Before we get into the odds, preview, and prediction, make sure to check out our online sportsbook reviews, and the top NHL betting sites.

Bruins vs Lightning Odds

Team
Boston Bruins	-105	-105	-105
Tampa Bay Lightning	-107	-115	-115

There's no clear favorite here. The Bruins sit at -105 odds while the Bolts are at -107. Tampa won the last meeting earlier this year against Boston by a score of 3-2.

Bruins Are For Real

When Boston completely collapsed in the opening round of the playoffs last season, many believed they'd take a step back in 2023-24. But, that hasn't been the case at all. The Bruins are firing on all cylinders, compiling a 41-16-15 record for a total of 97 points. The Atlantic crown is very much in play with a few weeks left in the campaign, but the ultimate goal will be a Stanley Cup run. That's a fact. Boston dropped games to the Rangers and Flyers last week but they're still 6-3-1 in the last 10 games.

The Bruins are a top-10 team on both ends of the ice. Jim Montgomery's squad ranks 10th in goals with 3.31 per contest while allowing only 2.74 per game, which is seventh-best in the NHL. This is a strong team in all areas. David Pastrnak leads the way with 99 points, including 44 goals and 55 assists. Brad Marchand is still doing his part after all of these years too, adding 27 goals and setting up another 35. Charlie Coyle, Pavel Zacha, Charlie McAvoy, and Jake DeBrusk are all consistent contributors as well.

Boston wasn't the most clinical against Philly though, going 0 for 2 on the power play and tallying only 20 shots on Flyers netminder Samuel Ersson. It wasn't the usual suspects who produced either, with Justin Brazeau and Danton Heinen finding the back of the net. Ahead of Tuesday's matchup with the Panthers, Pastrnak has gone two straight games without a point. They need him to step up. The Bruins own an impressive 18-7-9 record on the road this season.

Can't Sleep on Tampa

We're talking about back-to-back Stanley Cup champs here. The Lightning might've failed to win a title over the last couple of years, but this is still an organization with a decorated playoff resume and no shortage of talent and experience. Tampa is fourth in the Atlantic Division at 39-25-7 and currently sits in first place in the Wild Card race. The Bolts also happen to be surging at the moment, going 7-1-2 in their previous 10 appearances.

Anthony Cirelli played hero on the weekend against the Ducks, scoring 59 seconds into overtime to give Tampa a huge victory. Anthony Duclair and Luke Glendening also scored in this one. Although it was a closer game than many would've expected considering how poor Anaheim is, a win is a win. The Lightning actually had an impressive five-game winning run earlier this month with three consecutive victories over the Rangers, Panthers, and Golden Knights, outscoring them 16-9. That was proof Tampa is no joke and has what it takes to make a deep playoff run.

The Bolts are sixth in the NHL in scoring with 3.48 goals per game. Nikita Kucherov leads the way with a mind-boggling 123 points, which is top dog in the league. He has 41 goals and 82 assists. Brayden Point sits at 80 points, while Victor Hedman, Steven Stamkos, and Brandon Hagel all have over 60 points, too. The area where Tampa does struggle is defensively and that's why they're in the Wild Card mix. The Lightning are 23rd in that category, conceding 3.31 per night. If they can be more consistent, the sky is the limit when the postseason rolls around.