The Tampa Bay Lightning Meet the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh to open their 2024-25 season. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET (ESPN+/hulu). Let’s analyze the 24/7 NHL odds from BetMGM Sportsbook Lightning vs. Hurricanes Opportunities and meet our NHL expert picks and predictions.

Season Series: First Meeting; Lightning went 2-1 in 2023-24

The Lighting flew from Tampa on Monday to depart ahead of Hurricane Milton. The storm hit the Central Florida region and Saturday’s home opener against the Hurricanes was postponed to a later date.

The only meeting in Raleigh last season ended with the Lightning winning 8-2 on November 24, 2023. Tampa Bay has won the last two trips to Raleigh by a combined score of 12-2, and the underdog has won four of the last six in the series.

The Lightning lost captain Steven Stamkos to the Nashville Predators, who also moved D Mikhail Sergachev to the Utah Hockey Club. The team was able to add F Jake Guentzel in a sign-and-trade with the Hurricanes, and he’ll likely get a cool reception in Raleigh. D Ryan McDonagh will try to follow in Sergachev’s footsteps.

The Canes lost a lot of talent, with F Teuvo Teravainen heading to Chicago, while Ds Brett Pesce and Brady Skjei also left as free agents. The team added the sombre F Jack Roslovicas well as Ds Shayne Gostisbehere And Sean Walker to fill some gaps on the blueline.

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Lightning at Hurricanes odds

Powered by BetMGM Sportsbook; Visit the USA TODAY sports scores and sports betting hub for a complete list of NHL odds. Lines were last updated at 6:31 a.m. ET.

• Moneyline (ML): Lightning +115 (bet $100 to win $115) | Hurricanes -135 (Bet $135 to win $100)
• Puck Line (PL)/Against the Spread (ATS): Lightning +1.5 (-225) | Hurricanes -1.5 (+180)
• Over/Under (O/U): 6.5 (O: +100 | U: -120)

Lightning at Hurricanes projected goaltender

Andrei Vasilevskiy (30-20-2, 2.90 GAA, .900 SV%, 2 SO in 2023-24) vs. Fredrik Andersen (13-2-0, 1.84 GAA, .932 SV%, 3 SO in 2023-24) vs.

Vasilevskiy made his season debut in Raleigh last season on Nov. 24 after missing time due to a microdiscectomy for a herniated disc in his back. In his only appearance against Carolina, he stopped 22 of 24 shots while the offense gave him 8 assist goals in an easy win.

Andersen missed four months last season with a blood clotting disorder. When he was in the lineup, he was one of the NHL’s best goaltenders, posting a GAA of 1.84. He allowed three or fewer goals in 15 of his 16 starts and two or fewer goals in 13 of those appearances. Andersen did not face Tampa Bay in 2023-24.

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Lightning at Hurricanes tips and predictions

forecast

Hurricanes 4, Lightning 2

Money line

The HURRICANES (-135) are a safe game in this clash against rivals Lightning (+115) in the home opener.

Carolina typically does well in these regular season openers, enjoying a little home cooking before heading to the parking lot of the newly renamed Lenovo Center for an extended road trip during the North Carolina State Fair.

You can’t blame the Lightning for being a bit unfocused after the storm, because their minds could be elsewhere.

Puck Line/Against the Spread

If you’re feeling a little more adventurous, HURRICANES -1.5 (+180) is worth a try for a chance of almost doubling.

The away team has been much better in this series lately, but Carolina is a strong team at home behind Andersen as they should be much more focused than the Lightning +1.5 (-225).

Over/Under

UNDER 6.5 (-120) is the deciding factor for both sides in this opening game.

While the Overs cashed in their only meeting last season in Raleigh, the Unders are 3-1-1 in their last five meetings and also 3-1-1 in their last five games in North Carolina.

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