Tampa Bay Lightning vs Minnesota Wild prediction 1-18-24 Picks

The Minnesota Wild will play the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday night at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. Minnesota has lost four of their last five games, while Tampa Bay has won three games in a row. Let’s take a look at the betting matchup and the Wild vs Lightning prediction.

Wild Preview

The Minnesota Wild are 18-20-5 this year after they defeated the Islanders by a score of 5-0 in their last game. Minnesota scored once in the first, twice in the second, and twice in the third for the shutout win. The Wild out shot New York by a total of 40-21 and went 2-5 on the power play in the game. Minnesota had lost their previous four games against Arizona, Philadelphia, and Dallas (twice). The Wild are scoring 2.86 goals per game and they are allowing 3.30 goals against per game, while going 18.8% on the power play and 72.8% on the penalty kill. Kirill Kaprizov has led Minnesota with 13 goals, 22 assists, and 120 shots on goal. The projected starting goalie for Minnesota is Marc-Andre Fleury, who is 8-9-3 this year with a 2.97 goals against average and a .897 save percentage. 

Lightning Preview

The Tampa Bay Lightning are 22-17-5 this season after they defeated the Ducks by a score of 5-1 in their last game. Tampa Bay led 2-1 in the second period and they scored the final three goals for the blowout win. The Lightning out shot Anaheim by a total of 41-20 and went 3-3 on the power play in the game. Tampa Bay has also defeated New Jersey and Los Angeles during this winning streak. The Lightning are scoring 3.30 goals per game and they are allowing 3.39 goals against per game, while going 29.5% on the power play and 80.3% on the penalty kill. Nikita Kucherov has led Tampa Bay with 28 goals, 44 assists, and 187 shots on goal. The projected starting goalie for Tampa Bay is Andrei Vasilevskiy, who is 12-9-0 this season with a 2.86 goals against average and a .898 save percentage. 

Tampa Bay Lightning Team Facts

• The Lightning have won each of their last four home games.
• The Lightning have covered the puck line in 18 of their last 21 home games against Central Division opponents.
• The Lightning have won the second period in seven of their last eight night games at Amalie Arena following a home win.
• The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 2’ market has hit in each of the Lightning’s last eight games as home favorites.

Minnesota Wild Team Facts

• The Wild have won five of their last eight games as underdogs against the Lightning.
• The Wild have covered the puck line in each of their last six night games following a home win.
• The Wild have lost the third period in five of their last six games as underdogs.
• The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 3’ market has hit in each of the Wild’s last seven games as underdogs against Atlantic Division opponents.

Tampa Bay Lightning Player Prop Facts

• Nikita Kucherov has scored at least one goal in four of the Lightning’s last five games against Central Division opponents at Amalie Arena.
• Brandon Hagel has recorded at least one point in 11 of the Lightning’s last 12 home games against Central Division opponents.
• Nick Perbix has recorded at least one assist in each of the Lightning’s last four games at Amalie Arena.
• Nikita Kucherov ranks 1st in the league for Power Play Points (33) this season.

Minnesota Wild Player Prop Facts

• Joel Eriksson Ek has scored a goal in four of the Wild’s last five games as underdogs against the Lightning.
• Kirill Kaprizov has recorded at least one point in 21 of his last 24 appearances against Atlantic Division opponents.
• Mats Zuccarello has recorded at least one assist in nine of his last 11 appearances against Atlantic Division opponents.
• Mats Zuccarello ranks T1st in the Western Conference for shootout goals (3) this season.

Matchup/League Facts

• The Tampa Bay Lightning rank 2nd in the league for power play goals this season (41).
• The Tampa Bay Lightning rank 31st in the league in short handed goals this season (1).
• The Minnesota Wild rank T2nd in the league for Period 2 goals allowed per game this season (0.79).
• The Minnesota Wild rank 30th in the league for power play goals against this season (40).

Wild vs Lightning Betting Prediction

Tampa Bay has won three games in a row, all at home, and they will be looking for their fourth consecutive win here. The Lightning are 14-5-3 at home this season, while Minnesota is 7-11-2 on the road. The Wild have really struggled over the last few weeks, as they have lost eight of their last ten games, but they are getting healthier. Defense has not been a strong point for either team this season, but Tampa Bay has been the much better offensive team. I think the Lightning have the edge in this game with how well they play at home. Take Tampa Bay here.