Buyin’ into Bruins at bargain rate vs. Bolts

The Lightning have made their push. After scuffling through the first half of the campaign, the Bolts have gone 208-2 in their last 30 games to seize control of the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. Tampa Bay has been especially good of late, going 6-0-1 with a +17 goal differential (33 for, 16 against) over its last seven games and collecting wins against the Panthers, Rangers and Golden Knights along the way.

There is no secret to how Tampa wants to win. The Bolts aren’t a dominant team at five-on-five anymore, but they boast the NHL’s best power play and have the league’s scoring leader, Nikita Kucherov, in scintillating form.

Tampa Bay’s hot streak has understandably earned it some respect from the betting market. The Lightning were a slight road underdog against the Kings over the weekend and opened as slight -115 favorites against the Bruins on Wednesday night.

And as well as the Bolts have played of late, that seems a bit rich. The market seems to be back in on the Lightning and over-adjusting to a tough schedule spot for the B’s, who play a massive game against the Panthers on Tuesday.

More importantly, the Bolts could be without both Victor Hedman and Brayden Point for the second straight contest. Both players missed Tampa’s game in Anaheim, and with the playoffs just three weeks away, you’d have to imagine Jon Cooper will err on the side of caution with his No. 1 defenseman and top centerman.

THE PLAY: Bruins -105.