Today's Free Picks for

Pinnacle +127 BET365 +125 Sportsinteraction +125 888Sport +125
Posted at 1:30 PM ET. Odds are subject to change.
Montreal +127 over Tampa Bay
7:00 PM ET. OT included. The Canadiens are suddenly in a playoff hunt, and that's not a phrase anyone expected to write two months ago. After a dismal start to the season that saw them languishing at the bottom of the Eastern Conference, Montreal has surged with a 12-3-1 run over their last 16 games. That’s a stretch of hockey that has made believers out of the skeptics, and now they sit just two points shy of a wild-card spot.
Montreal is coming off a character-testing weekend. After a humbling 7-3 loss to the Maple Leafs on Saturday, the Canadiens regrouped to edge out the Rangers 5-4 in overtime the next night. That resilience is a hallmark of teams in the playoff mix, and Montreal is playing with the kind of urgency that can make them dangerous. Their blue line, led by rookie sensation Lane Hutson, has been quietly productive, while their offensive depth—highlighted by contributions from youngsters like Juraj Slafkovsky—is finally starting to show.
Meanwhile, the Lightning arrive in Montreal under very different circumstances. They’ve been plagued by inconsistency, a trait that even head coach Jon Cooper has publicly acknowledged. Tampa Bay has a habit of sleepwalking through first periods, forcing themselves to play catch-up far too often. That’s not a recipe for success, especially on the road against a motivated opponent.
Tampa Bay’s struggles were on full display Monday night in Toronto, where they spent most of the game chasing the Maple Leafs before ultimately falling 5-3. The Lightning’s road woes are becoming a trend—they’ve dropped five of their last eight away from Amalie Arena.
In their lone meeting earlier this season, the Canadiens went into Tampa Bay and handled the Lightning 5-2. That game wasn’t a fluke—Montreal outworked and outpaced a Lightning team that looked a step slow. Tonight, the Canadiens come into this one in better form, they are playing with a purpose, and they catching the Lightning in a vulnerable spot. That’s a bet.
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Our Pick
Montreal +127 (Risking 2 units - To Win: 2.54)