Minnesota Wild vs. Tampa Bay Lightning Prediction, Preview, and Odds
It’s an interconference clash on the ice when a pair of teams on opposite sides of the playoff cut line collide in the Sunshine State. The Minnesota Wild are on the road as they make the trip to take on the Tampa Bay Lightning Tuesday night. Minnesota was beaten 5-3 on the road by Florida in their previous contest Saturday night. Tampa Bay was doubled up 6-3 on the road by Calgary in their previous game Saturday afternoon. In the last 10 meetings between the teams, the Wild own a 7-2-1 advantage, including a 5-1 home victory in the first meeting this season on January 4.
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Minnesota Wild Hoping to Sweep Season Series
Minnesota lost their second straight game and their fifth in the last eight games as they were dumped by Florida in their most recent contest. The Wild enter this game 25-16-4 on the season and stand third in the Central Division, nine points behind the Stars and Jets for the top spot. They were one point ahead of the Avalanche to remain in the final guaranteed playoff spot in the division. Minnesota is tied for 17 in goals per game as they average 3.11 goals per contest. The Wild are 12 in goals against as they allow 2.84 goals per contest this season. Minnesota is 11 in power play success by converting 23.9% of their chances with the man advantage. The Wild are 16 in penalty killing as they successfully navigate 79.1% of their shorthanded situations this season.
Against Florida, Minnesota was unable to keep the puck out of their own net and that proved to be their undoing in the contest. The Wild held a 9-6 advantage in shots on goal in the opening period but skated to the dressing room trailing 1-0 after 20 minutes of play. In the second period, Minnesota was outshot 13-10 and outscored 2-1 to trail by a 3-1 margin after 40 minutes of action. After falling behind 2-0, Matt Boldy got the Wild on the board with a power play goal, his 14 of the season, at 8:56 off assists from Joel Eriksson Ek and Kirill Kaprizov to make it a 2-1 game. They gave up a goal later in the period to go down a pair once again. In the third period, Minnesota held a 13-8 advantage in shots on goal with each team scoring twice to keep the margin the same as time expired. Eriksson Ek made it 3-2 with a power play goal, his 16 of the season, at 4:37 with assists going to Kaprizov and Calen Addison. After giving up a goal to trail 4-2, Jared Spurgeon made it 4-3 with his eighth goal of the year with assists going to Boldy and Kaprizov. The Wild gave up an empty net goal to seal the game and take the loss. Filip Gustavsson made 22 saves for the Wild, who held a 32-27 edge in shots, in the loss. Marc-Andre Fleury is expected to get the start in goal here.
Lightning Looking to Get on Track at Home
Tampa Bay dropped the final two games of their five-game road trip as they were dumped by the Oilers and Flames before heading home. The Lightning entered Monday night third in the Atlantic Division with a 29-15-1 record, leaving them 19 points behind the Bruins for the top spot. They were eight points ahead of Florida for the final guaranteed playoff spot. Tampa Bay went into Monday 5 in the league in goals per game as they average 3.60 goals per contest. The Lightning stands 15 in goals against by allowing 2.98 goals per game. Tampa Bay is 2 with the man advantage as they cash in on 27.1% of their chances with the man advantage this season. The Lightning are 13 in penalty killing as they successfully work through 80.5% of their shorthanded situations on the year.
In their loss to the Flames, Tampa Bay was roughed up in their own end of the ice to wind up with their second straight defeat. The opening period saw the Lightning outshot by a 15-4 margin and was fortunate to be down just 1-0 after 20 minutes of play. In the second period, Tampa Bay was outshot 16-10 with both teams scoring twice, leaving them down 3-2 at the second intermission. Steven Stamkos tied the game at one with his 23 goal of the season, unassisted, at 10:20 of the period. Just 48 seconds later, Vladislav Namestnikov tallied his fourth of the season at 11:08 with assists going to Nicholas Paul and Pat Maroon for a 2-1 Tampa Bay lead. The Lightning gave up a pair of goals later in the period to trail after 40 minutes. In the third period, the shots were even at 10 but Tampa Bay was outscored 3-1 to wind up the loss. After giving up a goal to trail 4-2, Anthony Cirelli made it a one-goal game with his third goal of the season at 15:58 off assists from Victor Hedman and Nikita Kucherov. That was as close as Tampa Bay would get as they gave up a pair of empty net goals to salt the game away. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 35 saves for the Lightning, who were outshot 41-24, in the loss. He is slated to be between the pipes again here.
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Both teams have struggled in their last couple of games as the opposing teams have put up plenty of goals. The Wild has sputtered a bit on the road and they looked overmatched against the Panthers Saturday night. Minnesota will have Fleury back between the pipes but it’s tough to get excited about facing the Lightning at the Amalie Arena, especially when it’s Vasilevskiy between the pipes. In his career, Vasilevskiy is a sparkling 143-46-14 with a 2.46 GAA, a .919 save % and 14 shutouts in 209 career games at the Amalie Arena. Tampa Bay is a stellar 17-4-1 at home this season and the Lightning get the upper hand in this one as the Wild continue to struggle defensively.
Prediction: Tampa Bay Lightning -155
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Minnesota comes in with the under having posted a 22-21-2 mark in their 45 games on the year. The Wild have seen an average total of 5.96 goals per game this season overall though that number tumbles to 5.65 goals per game as the visiting team. Tampa Bay has seen the over post a 21-17-7 record in their 45 games this season. The Lightning have seen an average of 6.58 goals per game this season, a number that jumps to 6.73 goals per contest as the home team this season. We’ve seen the over go 5-2-1 in the last eight meetings between the teams. With both teams having defensive issues of late, this game ends up over the total.
Prediction: Over 6
Chris King has been immersed in the world of professional and collegiate sports for more than three decades. Whether it's playing pickup games or being involved in organized sports to being a fan, he's checked all the boxes. From the NFL to arena football, the NHL to the KHL, the NBA to the WNBA to college hoops, and even MLB to the KBO. If it's out there, he's covered it and bet on it as well, as Chris has been an expert bettor in his career. Before joining Winners and Whiners back in 2015, his work appeared around the internet and in print. He's written books for Ruckus Books about college basketball, the NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL, golf, and the World Cup. If you're looking for the inside track on hitting a winner, do yourself a favor and read what Chris has to say.
