Boston should control this meeting at TD Garden. The Bruins are 13-4-1 with a plus-26 goal differential and a four-game win streak, closed by a 4-1 home win over Florida. They have allowed 41 goals in 18 games, and Jeremy Swayman has a 2.21 goals-against average with a.920 save percentage. David Pastrnak leads the attack with eight goals and 16 assists, and Charlie McAvoy has eight assists in the last 10 games. Montreal is 11-3-4 and 5-0-0 against the Atlantic, but the visitors are thin. Ivan Demidov and Mike Matheson are out, Sam Montembeault is unavailable, and Jake Evans is day-to-day with a hand issue. Boston also has the rest edge after Montreal's overtime loss to Minnesota. A two-goal margin is not the base case against a side with only three regulation losses, so the straight result is the fit. Boston wins at home.

Tampa Bay should control possession and win at Nationwide Arena. The Lightning are 11-4-2 with 63 goals in 17 games and a 56.6 percent five-on-five shot-attempt share, driven by Nikita Kucherov on 22 points and Jake Guentzel on 10 goals and 18 points. Columbus is 7-9-0, 30th at 2.44 goals per game, and lost 1-4 at home to Florida on Tuesday. Conor Garland is out indefinitely with an upper-body injury and Isac Lundestrom is still out with an Achilles injury, which leaves even less finishing around Kent Johnson. Brayden Point is on injured reserve after exiting the Winnipeg game in the first period, and this is the second night of a Tampa road back-to-back, so a blowout is not the base case. The chance gap is still large enough for Tampa Bay Lightning to win the game.