Bet on Well-Rested Lightning vs Struggling Wild

Nikita Kucherov had an assist in Tampa Bay’s 4-1 win at Minnesota two weeks ago and shares the lead in the league with Nathan MacKinnon of Colorado at 72 points. Goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy got the win in that game and is 5-4-2 with a .923 save percentage versus the Wild.

Minnesota starts a three-game road swing after blanking the New York Islanders 5-0 on Monday as veteran Marc-Andre Fleury made 21 saves. The Wild are 13-10-1 since John Hynes replaced Dean Evason as coach, but 2-7-1 in the past 10.

The Lightning are +1200 to win the Eastern Conference in NHL Vegas odds while Minnesota is eight points out of playoff position in the West.

Wild vs Lightning Game Information

1. Game: Wild (18-20-5) vs Lightning (22-17-5)
2. Location: Amalie Arena, Tampa, FL
3. Day/Time: Thursday, Jan. 18, 7:00 p.m. ET
4. Wild vs Lightning Live Stream: NHL.com

The Lightning attempt to complete a perfect four-game homestand when they host the underdog Wild on Thursday night. Tampa Bay is 14-5-3 on home ice with four straight wins while Minnesota is 7-11-2 on the road if you bet online. The Lightning have won the last two meetings, including a 4-1 triumph in Minneapolis on Jan. 4 with two goals from defenseman Darren Raddysh.

Wild vs Lightning Spreads and Odds

Wild vs Lightning Prediction

Tampa Bay Lightning 4, Minnesota Wild 2

Wild vs Lightning Trends

1. The Lightning have hit the first-period moneyline at the sportsbook in 30 of their last 44 home games.
2. The under is 5-3-1 in Minnesota’s last nine games and the Wild are 22nd in the league in scoring defense after finishing sixth in 2022-23.
3. Tampa Bay was 3-for-3 on the power play versus Anaheim on Saturday and leads the league at 29.5 percent.
4. Wild forward Matt Boldy boasts four goals and three assists over his past six contests.
5. Lightning forward Brandon Hagel has three goals and two assists across his last five games.
6. Tampa Bay defensemen have recorded seven goals in the last five games – three against Minnesota earlier this month.
7. The Wild are 0-6 in the last six games as a road underdog of +110 to +150.
8. The Lightning are 5-1 on the moneyline in their last six matchups versus Western Conference teams.

Over/Under Pick: Under 6 ½ (-115)

The teams are both in the bottom 11 in the league in scoring defense, but if Vasilevskiy and Fleury are in net you should expect six or fewer goals.

ATS Pick: Lightning -1 ½ (+175)

Tampa Bay has struggled on the road, but it is still tough at home and should have enough to turn back the Wild. Minnesota managed just 23 shots in the first meeting.

Stamkos on the 3-0 start to the homestand: “This is a tough building to play in. I think the atmosphere has been great. The past four or five games, the crowd has been great and we kind of feed off that a little bit, so it’s been great to see.”

— Chris Krenn (@Chris_Krenn) January 14, 2024

Moneyline Pick: Lightning (-140)

The Lightning need every point they can get to keep pace in the wild-card race. Kucherov, Stamkos and Brayden Point have been playing together on the top line and the Hagel-Anthony Cirelli-Nick Paul unit has been active for the Bolts.

Best Player Prop: Anthony Cirelli Anytime Goalscorer (+340)

The Lightning center is due after going 13 games without a goal. He has six shots on net and a +3 rating on the homestand.

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