Who to Bet on the Ice on Sunday in the NHL

Eight games are scheduled to take place on the ice Sunday in the NHL. That means there are plenty of betting options, whether you want to get some action on a single game or put together a huge parlay.

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Before you finalize your bet slip, consider this bet on the ice Sunday in the NHL, along with a couple of honorable mentions.

Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Chicago Blackhawks Picks

Lightning vs. Blackhawks Betting Report

Best Bet: Lightning ML

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The Tampa Bay Lightning and Chicago Blackhawks have already played a pair of wildly-entertaining games this week, with each team earning a win in extra time. For the rubber match on Sunday afternoon, take the Lightning to pull off the victory.

In the first game, each team netted a shorthanded goal as the Lightning overcame a two-goal deficit and won 3-2 with a buzzer-beater in overtime. Both offenses were very active, with Chicago holding the slight 37-34 shots advantage.

The next night, it was the Blackhawks who overcame the 2-0 deficit and won 4-3 in a shootout. Ironically, Tampa Bay outshot Chicago 42-27 in a game that featured 11 combined power-play opportunities, two of which were converted into goals.

So after two close games, why do the Lightning have the advantage going into Sunday? For one, Andrei Vasilevskiy will be back after a day off on Friday.

The former Vezina winner is perhaps the league’s best netminder with a 14-3-1 record, a 1.66 GAA, and a .942 save percentage to go with three shutouts as well. Vasilevskiy is a huge reason why Tampa Bay is still the league leader with just two goals allowed per game.

Although they allowed a power-play goal on Friday, the Lightning have successfully killed six of seven Blackhawks power plays, holding them well under the 31.5 percent score rate Chicago averages this season with the extra attacker. With the Lightning killing off 88.3 percent of penalties this season, it’s a good bet that the Blackhawks will need to win the even-strength battles to win back-to-back games.

Finally, the Lightning have an equal amount of firepower to score with the best players on Chicago. The Blackhawks have been getting a ton of production from Alex DeBrincat, who has scored in four straight, but Tampa Bay’s Anthony Cirelli has scored in three of his last four games, including both Thursday and Friday.

Patrick Kane has jumped to second in the NHL in points as he continues to produce. While no one immediately is close to Kane for the year, guys like Steven Stamkos and Ondrej Palat have had strong seasons and are also playing well currently, with Palat dishing out a pair of assists on Friday.

With Vasilevskiy back in action, the penalty kill working, and plenty of players capable of putting up points, look for the defending champion Lightning to finish off this great mini-series in Chicago with a win.

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Other NHL Best Bets Today

Hurricanes over Panthers: Carolina is set to host a Florida team that it not only beat twice recently but is also coming off a back-to-back. Look for the Hurricanes and their top-five offense to take advantage of the tired Panthers and beat them in Raleigh.

Bruins over Devils: Although New Jersey has beaten Boston twice in three games this year, look for the Bruins to win on Sunday. Fresh off of a dominant 5-1 victory against the Capitals, Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak and company should be too much to handle for a Devils team that has lost four in a row and seven of its last eight.