Tampa Bay Lightning vs. St. Louis Blues Odds, Analysis, NHL Betting Pick

The two teams tied with the most points in the NHL will square off in St. Louis on Tuesday when the Blues (21-8-2) host the Tampa Bay Lightning (21-6-2) in what is listed as a pick'em matchup at the sportsbooks.

Both teams are riding four-game winning streaks into this potential Stanley Cup final preview, with Tampa Bay kicking off a four-game road trip while St. Louis continues a four-game homestand. 

Betting line: The Blues opened as -106 favorites (wager $106 to win $100); the total is at 5.5 goals, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark. (Line updates and matchup report)

NHL betting pick, via OddsShark computer: 3.2-2.3, Lightning (NHL picks on every game)

Why the Lightning can pay on the NHL lines

The Lightning have been one of the league's top road teams. They lead the NHL in scoring with 3.8 goals per game and have the best power-play unit as well, converting 28.4 percent of their chances. 

What makes Tampa Bay special and the current Stanley Cup betting favorite is the team's defense anchored by goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy (2.24 goals-against average), the early leader to win the Vezina Trophy.

Why the Blues can pay on the NHL lines

The Blues have been even better on the road than the Lightning and stand as one of just three teams with double-digit wins both at home and away. At Scottrade Center, St. Louis is 11-5 with two straight wins since falling 4-1 to the Los Angeles Kings there on December 1.

Before losing the past two meetings at Tampa Bay, the Blues had won the previous six games in the series, according to the OddsShark NHL database, with four of them coming at home. Playing without second-leading scorer Jaden Schwartz (ankle), bettors are getting St. Louis at a bargain price.

Smart betting pick

This is a measuring-stick matchup for each team to see how they stack up against the other conference's elite. Home ice will be a significant factor here, as the Blues suffered three of their five losses at Scottrade Center during a five-game homestand that ended November and started December.

Meanwhile, the Lightning experienced three losses on their last road trip during that same stretch before rebounding to win four in a row at home. This western trip may be tougher and will start with another loss.

NHL betting trends

Tampa Bay is 5-1 in its last six games.

Tampa Bay is 15-6 in its last 21 games on the road.

St. Louis is 6-2 in its last eight games against Tampa Bay.

All NHL odds and betting trends courtesy of Bleacher Report's official odds partner, OddsShark. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line-movement updates and the OddsShark YouTube page for picks and analysis, or download the free odds tracker app.