Key Players Could Be Back for Winnipeg
Tampa Bay Lightning has been a much more successful team at home than on the road so playing three games in four days on the road has been a bit challenging. A win would give the Lightning four out of six possible points, making this trip a good one.
Winnipeg is about to get some reinforcements as the Jets try to close the gap on Dallas in the Central Division. Winnipeg could get back forwards Nikolaj Ehlers, Blake Wheeler, and Cole Perfetti as well as defenseman Nate Schmidt for the game.
Let’s check the latest NHL odds, stats, injury reports, and NHL lines for the Lightning vs Jets. We’ve plenty of NHL betting odds for you to consider.
And now, Michael Eyssimont is on waivers.
Blake Wheeler, Nikolaj Ehlers, Nate Schmidt, and Cole Perfetti could theoretically *all* play Friday against Tampa Bay.
— Murat Ates (@WPGMurat) January 5, 2023
Winnipeg is 14-6 at home and Tampa Bay is 9-8 on the road, so give the edge to the Jets.
According to the NHL playoff odds, the Lightning (+1400) have the sixth-best odds to win the Stanley Cup. The Jets are 16th at +4000
Going for the Kill
Winnipeg takes a three-game winning streak into the matchup with Tampa Bay. One of the keys to the Jet’s recent success has come when killing penalties.
Winnipeg has allowed just one power-play goal since Boston’s Jake DeBrusk scored on the power play in the second period to tie a Dec. 22 game 2-2.
The Jets killed off the final penalty in the game against the Bruins to start off a run of 13 out of 14 successful penalty kills against Washington, Minnesota, Vancouver, Edmonton, and Calgary.
Relying on the penalty kill to pick up points is not a new phenomenon. Winnipeg has allowed just eight power-play goals in its 24 wins and 10 in the 13 losses.
The NHL betting lines total has gone under in Winnipeg’s last 10 games.
Looking To Bounce Back
When the Tampa Bay Lightning lose, they don’t mess around.
The Lightning is 9-3 since Dec. 8. Tampa Bay has outscored its opponents 38-13 in the nine wins while being outscored 16-6 in the three losses. Minnesota scored three times in the second period en route to a 5-1 Lightning loss the last time out.
The only goal came on the power play by Brayden Point. It was Point’s 11th goal over those 12 games, with nine of those coming at even strength.
Point and Brandon Hagel have scored 19 of Tampa Bay’s last 45. In those three wins, they have two goals and one assist compared to 17 goals and eight assists in the nine victories.
The Las Vegas odds total has gone under in four of Tampa Bay’s last five games as well as in six of their last seven road games.
Lightning vs Jets Knights Game Injuries
Lightning vs Jets Head-to-Head
The teams have split the last six games. The last time a team swept the season series came during the 2015-16 campaign when Tampa Bay won 4-3 in Winnipeg in October and won at home 6-5 in February.
The last six games have gone over the total, with 11 goals scored in both of last season’s matchups.
Nikita Zucherov (two goals, three assists) and Victor Hedman (one goal, four assists) led Tampa Bay in scoring against Winnipeg a season ago. Kyle Connor had two goals and two assists for Winnipeg against Tampa Bay, while Mark Scheifele had a goal and three assists in the lone game he appeared in.
Lightning vs Jets Game Information
- Game: Lightning (24-12-1) vs Jets (24-13-1)
- Location: Canada Life Centre, Winnipeg
- Day/Time: Friday, Jan. 6, 8:00 p.m. ET
- Lightning vs Jets: NHL.TV
Lightning vs Jets Betting Lines
Lightning vs Jets Picks & Prediction
Keep an eye on who takes the ice for Winnipeg Jets because that could impact how this game plays out.
Tampa Bay is 23-8-1 when listed as the favorite by the sportsbook, while Winnipeg is 9-11-1 as the underdog. The Lightning has covered in just six of its 17 road games and the Jets are 11-9 against the spread on home ice. Just 11 Winnipeg games have finished under the total this season.
Tampa Bay has been outscored 6-2 in the second period in its last three losses, so that is a trend to keep an eye on.
The Tampa Bay Lightning is listed at -115 in our Las Vegas odds. This means that if you wager $100 on the Lightning, you have a chance to win $187. Winnipeg is -105, offering a chance to win $195.24 on a $100 wager.
The implied probability attached to the betting lines gives the Tampa Bay Lightning a 53.49% chance to win, with the Winnipeg Jets at 51.22%.
