Carolina Hurricanes vs Tampa Bay Lightning Prediction, Preview and Odds - 01/07/2025

Game Time: 7:00 pm ET, Tuesday, January 7, 2025

Venue:  Amalie Arena, Tampa, FL 

Where to Watch:  FDSSUN

DraftKings:  Moneyline:  Hurricanes -105, Lightning -115; Over/Under:  6.5 goals

Bet365:  Moneyline:  Hurricanes -105, Lightning -115; Over/Under:  6.5 goals

BetMGM:  Moneyline:  Hurricanes -105, Lightning -115; Over/Under:  6.5 goals

Carolina Hurricanes:  24-14-2 (3rd place, Metropolitan Division)

Tampa Bay Lightning:  20-15-2 (4th place, Atlantic Division)

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Carolina Hurricanes:  5-4-1 last 10

Tampa Bay Lightning:  5-5-0 last 10

The Hurricanes are entering this game with 50 points, a 24-14-2 record overall, and they are 9-9-2 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a win against the Pittsburgh Penguins in their last game, winning that one at home 4-3 in overtime. Seth Jarvis led the team in goals scored with 2 while Sebastian Aho and Jalen Chatfield each scored 1 goal for them in that one. Sebastian Aho led the team in assists with 2 while Jaccob Slavin and Ty Smith each led the team in shots on net in that game with 4. Dustin Tokarski was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 3 goals on 19 shots with 16 saves and a .842 save percentage. Their offense has scored 135 goals this season averaging 3.4 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 114 goals against them allowing 2.9 goals per game.

The Lightning are entering this game with 42 points, a 20-15-2 record overall, and they are 11-6-1 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a loss against the Anaheim Ducks in their last game, losing that one on the road 4-1. Jake Guentzel scored 1 goal for them in that one. Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point each led the team in assists with 1 while Victor Hedman led the team in shots on net in that game with 8. Jonas Johansson was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 3 goals on 25 shots with 22 saves and a .880 sv percentage. Their offense has scored 137 goals this season averaging 3.7 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 105 goals against them allowing 2.8 goals per game.

The current betting odds have the Hurricanes listed as a slight underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Hurricanes have looked really good in their games this season with their 24-14-2 record overall which has them in 3rd place of their division in the East. They haven't looked as good in their road games this year with their 9-9-2 road record, but they have been hot in their games lately. They are coming off a win over the Penguins in their last one and have been winning more games lately with their defense looking better too. Meanwhile, the Lightning have looked good in their games this season with their 20-15-2 record overall, but that record has them in 4th place of their division in the East. They have looked better on home ice this year with their 11-6-1 home record, but they have looked terrible in their games lately as they are in the middle of a slump. They are coming off a 4-1 loss to the Ducks in their last one and also lost a game to the Sharks in their road trip out West. They have no momentum on their side with 4 losses in a row now, and they have been losing games lately to some of the worst teams in the NHL, struggling to score in these games too. Now they are back at home for this one, but the Hurricanes have been playing well lately and their defense hasn't been giving up many goals either. The Hurricanes can definitely take advantage of the situation that the Lightning are in. The best way to place a bet here is on the Hurricanes to win this game.

Hurricanes Lightning Prediction:  Our NHL Pick for Tuesday, January 7, 2025 (7:00 pm ET start time) is Hurricanes 3 Lightning 1.

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Carolina Hurricanes: 39-19 (+8.9 units) on the moneyline revenging a same season loss vs opponent. 84-53 (+5.6 units) on the moneyline against explosive offensive teams - scoring 3+ goals/game. 86-57 (+4.1 units) on the moneyline against good passing teams - averaging 5 or more assists per game. 

Tampa Bay Lightning: 113-98 (-14.9 units) on the moneyline in all games. 18-21 (-10 units) on the moneyline off a road blowout loss by 3 goals or more. 49-55 (-13 units) on the moneyline when playing against a team with a winning record. 71-71 (-13.4 units) on the moneyline against good offensive teams - averaging 29.5+ shots on goal per game.

Carolina Hurricanes:  W. Carrier (LW) Out - Lower Body. S. Gostisbehere (D) Out - Upper Body. T. Jost (C) Out - Undisclosed. F. Andersen (G) Out - Knee. J. Fast (RW) Out - Neck.

Tampa Bay Lightning:  J. Moser (D) Out - Lower-body.

"I give the guys a ton of credit because of the way things went (last) night. We made a bad decision on (Pittsburgh's) first goal and gave up an odd-man rush. They made a good play on the second one. You just have to tip your cap. That was a world-class play by [Erik] Karlsson. He made a good play and we had to move on. I thought after that we settled down and got to our game, especially in the second period. They made another good play for a goal [in the third] but I thought we stuck with it. I think we got what we deserved tonight." - Rod Brind’Amour after his team’s win against the Penguins in their game on Sunday.

“Yeah, this is tough to swallow, coming out here, playing three games and coming out with zero points, we're definitely not used to that. It's a humbling game.” - Jon Cooper after his team’s loss against the Ducks in their game on Saturday.

LW Jack Roslovic

C Sebastian Aho

RW Seth Jarvis

LD Jaccob Slavin

RD Brent Burns

G Dustin Tokarski

LW Jake Guentzel

C Brayden Point

RW Nikita Kucherov

LD Victor Hedman

RD Darren Raddysh

G Jonas Johansson

Points: M. Necas (47)

Goals: J. Roslovic (17)

Assists: M. Necas (32)

GAA: F. Andersen (1.49)

Points: N. Kucherov (55)

Goals: B. Point (23)

Assists: N. Kucherov (38)

GAA: A. Vasilevskiy (2.37)

Coaches:

Carolina Hurricanes: Rod Brind'Amour (7th season)

Tampa Bay Lightning: Jon Cooper (13th season)