Stephen Nover's NHL December Game of the Month
(NHL) Florida vs. Tampa Bay,
Money Line: 100.00 Tampa Bay (Home)
Result: Loss
Tampa Bay has been inconsistent, but coming out of the Christmas break this is a good spot for the Lightning. The price is right to back them. Tampa Bay has been better at home and Andrei Vasilevskiy is coming around to his superstar form in his return from back surgery.

The Lightning have won four consecutive home games, including defeating Dallas and Las Vegas. Tampa Bay is on a three-game win streak after edging the Capitals on the road this past Saturday and has won four of its last five overall games.

Vasilevskiy is playing much better. He's 7-2 with a .925 save percentage in his last nine games.

The Lightning are a top-10 scoring team and have an elite goalie. Florida ranks 24th in scoring.

The Panthers are off a highly-satisfying, 4-2, victory against the Golden Knights this past Saturday. The game was played in Sunrise, Fla. The Golden Knights had defeated the Panthers in the Stanley Cup finals. Before that victory, though, the Panthers had lost four of their previous five games.