It's a matchup of 2020 Stanley Cup contenders when the Colorado Avalanche host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday night in Denver. The Avalanche (33-17-6) have lost two in a row at home after a five-game win streak, falling to the Kings 3-1 on Saturday. The Lightning (38-15-5) have been on fire, winning 10 straight including a 5-3 victory against the Flyers on Saturday. Colorado has one of the league's top players in Nathan MacKinnon, while Tampa Bay boasts elite players at nearly every position. 

Puck drop is set for 9 p.m. ET at Pepsi Center. Tampa Bay is a -115 money line favorite in the Avalanche vs. Lightning odds, while the over-under for total goals scored is six. Before considering any Lightning vs. Avalanche picks or NHL predictions, make sure you see what the proven SportsLine Projection Model has to say.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NHL game 10,000 times, taking into account factors like current form, individual matchups, injuries and short- and long-term trends. Looking to build on its profits thus far in the 2019-20 season on its NHL picks, the model seeks the best values on the money line, puck line and total.

Now, the model has set its sights on Lightning vs. Avalanche. You can visit SportsLine now to see the picks. Here are the NHL lines and trends for Avalanche vs. Lightning:

  • Lightning vs. Avalanche puck line: Tampa Bay -1.5
  • Lightning vs. Avalanche over-under: 6
  • Lightning vs. Avalanche money line: Tampa Bay -115, Colorado -102
  • TB: G Andrei Vasilevskiy has won 18 of his last 19 starts.
  • COL LW Andre Burakovsky has 10 points in eight games this month.

Why the Lightning have value

Tampa Bay is second in the league in goals per game at 3.5 and fourth in allowing just 2.6, and the Lightning have four players with at least 40 points. Nikita Kucherov is tied for eighth in the NHL with 72 points and has a team-high 44 assists. He is fifth in the NHL in plus-minus at plus-12. Steven Stamkos has 26, including eight on the power play, and he has a devastating one-timer from the face-off circle.

Defenseman Victor Hedman also is a big part of the power play, with 16 of his 40 assists coming with the man advantage. The Lightning power play is sixth in the league, converting 23.3 percent of the time. Centers Brayden Point (21 goals) and Alex Killorn (22) each has scored seven times on the power play. Goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy is 32-9 and has a 2.43 goals-against average and .921 save percentage.

Why the Avalanche have value

But that doesn't necessarily mean Tampa Bay is the best value on the Lightning vs. Avalanche money line. MacKinnon is fourth in the league with 80 points and fifth with 32 goals, including 10 on the power play. He is a big reason the Avs lead the league with 3.6 goals per game. They also have the seventh-most shots in the league with 32.9 per game as MacKinnon has fired off 265. 

The 24-year-old former top overall pick also has 17 power-play assists. Defenseman Cale Makar has 13 for a unit that is 19th in the league at 19.3 percent with the man advantage. The Avalanche allow just 2.8 goals per game (eighth in the NHL), and they kill off 78.9 percent of their penalties (19th). 

How to make Lightning vs. Avalanche picks

SportsLine's model is leaning over as it gives Kucherov and MacKinnon a great chance to score a goal each, and it says one side of the money line has all the value. You can only get the pick at SportsLine.

So who wins Lightning vs. Avalanche? And which side of the money line has all the value? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Avalanche vs. Lightning money line to jump on Monday, all from the an advanced model that has simulated the game 10,000 times.