Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Carolina Hurricanes: Prediction, Preview, Picks & Odds - 3/28/2023

Time: 7 p.m. ET

Venue: PNC Arena, Raleigh, NC

Where to watch: BSSO, BSSUN, TVAS

DraftKings: Hurricanes -140, Lightning +125

BetMGM: Hurricanes -140, Lightning +125

Caesars: Hurricanes -140, Lightning +125

Lightning: 42-26-6

Hurricanes: 47-16-9

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The Carolina Hurricanes are back in the Stanley Cup playoffs, and the Tampa Bay Lightning will not be that far behind them. In the odd event this becomes a playoff preview should both teams make it to the conference final, I don't know if the hockey world would combust or if it would rejoice in terror that this would be a conference final but nevertheless a late season match up with not a lot in stake is setting up for something interesting here.

 

I don't want to fully downplay with this game would mean for either team. Carolina is trying to extend its lead in the Metropolitan Division, currently at three points over the New Jersey Devils. New Jersey still has a realistic chance of actually catching Carolina and being that number one seed that would host either the New York Islanders, the Pittsburgh Penguins, or any other team in the first round.

 

Tampa Bay meanwhile is 7 points back of the Toronto Maple Leafs, and while we are on a collision course for a rematch of the first round from last year, I do wonder if home ice advantage is going to play a key factor in this. Even though Toronto had the homie's advantage last year and still lost in seven games, I wonder if this version of Tampa Bay is going to run out of gas or they're just waiting for the postseason before they become the eater of worlds again.

 

So there's a lot to take in here as far as what is real and what is fake and I'm not sure if Tampa right now is either or. Because I don't think we've seen this from Tampa Bay at this point of the season where they're not playing their absolute best but we also know what they're capable of. We know that they are capable of making another Stanley Cup final run and at some point I think they're going to have to put together an entire 60 minute game against some of the best teams in the league and show that they are very much in the conversation of being that team again.

 

Whereas Carolina I think he needs all the momentum in the world going into the playoffs. They had a horrible situation last year in which they beat Boston in seven games in the first round and then lost to the New York Rangers in the second round in seven games. This is a team that needs all the positive momentum in the world going into the playoffs because they should be a team that should be reckoned with in the NHL and for some reason it just has not come together. This might be the best year Carolina has ever going to have at getting to the Stanley Cup final and yet this is going to be the most stacked the Eastern Conference has ever been heading into the playoffs.

 

It would take a lot for Tampa Bay to lose the grip on 3rd place in the Atlantic and I don't see how they lose that grip so it's not like anything is going to affect Tampa Bay in this game. Carolina I think needs more momentum and I think they will understand the urgency in trying to capture that number one spot in the metro. Hurricanes 3, Lightning 2

Lightning:

Brandon Hagel -- Brayden Point -- Nikita Kucherov

Steven Stamkos -- Anthony Cirelli -- Alex Killorn

Ross Colton -- Nicholas Paul -- Pat Maroon

Tanner Jeannot -- Michael Eyssimont -- Corey Perry

Victor Hedman -- Nick Perbix

Mikhail Sergachev -- Darren Raddysh

Ian Cole -- Erik Cernak

Andrei Vasilevskiy

Hurricanes:

Teuvo Teravainen -- Sebastian Aho -- Martin Necas

Stefan Noesen -- Jesperi Kotkaniemi -- Seth Jarvis

Jordan Martinook -- Jordan Staal -- Jesper Fast

Jack Drury -- Derek Stepan -- Jesse Puljujarvi

Jaccob Slavin -- Brent Burns

Brady Skjei -- Brett Pesce

Shayne Gostisbehere -- Jalen Chatfield

Frederik Andersen