NHL Betting Preview: Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Pittsburgh Penguins Game 1 Odds

The Tampa Bay Lightning may have had an easier road to get to the 2016 Eastern Conference Final, but they are hoping last year’s successful experience will help them when they visit the Pittsburgh Penguins in Friday's series opener.

The defending Eastern Conference champion Lightning find themselves listed at plus-150 betting underdogs (bet $100 to win $150) for Game 1 at sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark

Tampa Bay is also listed at plus-160 to win the series compared to minus-180 (bet $180 to win $100) for a Pittsburgh team favored to win the Stanley Cup after plowing through the New York Rangers and Washington Capitals in 11 games.

The Lightning needed just 10 games to knock out the Detroit Red Wings and New York Islanders despite playing without All-Star forward Steven Stamkos, who has been sitting after surgery to treat a blood clot in his arm. Stamkos has been out five weeks but could reportedly return to the ice soon.

The Penguins have dealt better with injuries than any team in the NHL this year, getting other players to step up when needed, especially during their current playoff run.

Pittsburgh winger Phil Kessel looked to be a bust after arriving in a blockbuster trade from the Toronto Maple Leafs last offseason, but Kessel came alive down the stretch when Evgeni Malkin was out with an upper-body injury and has been a difference-maker in the postseason with a team-high 12 points on five goals and seven assists.

However, goaltending has been the key for the Pens since seeing starting netminder Marc-Andre Fleury go down with a concussion late in the regular season. Fleury has been relegated to backup duty with rookie Matt Murray emerging between the pipes as the starter. Murray is 7-2 in the playoffs with a .935 save percentage after stopping 272 of 291 shots.

Tampa Bay counterpart Ben Bishop has been even better though, going 8-2 with a .938 save percentage (270-for-288).

The Lightning won all three regular-season meetings with Pittsburgh but have never faced Murray. That will likely impact the chances of the over continuing to cash while on a current 7-0 series run, according to the Odds Shark NHL Database.

In fact, the under has cashed only once in the past 15 meetings dating back to 2012.