Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Minnesota Wild Prediction: Can Andrei Vasilevskiy, Lightning Get Back on Track?

Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Minnesota Wild Prediction: Can Andrei Vasilevskiy, Lightning Get Back on Track?

The Tampa Bay Lightning hit the road tonight and travel to Saint Paul to take on the Minnesota Wild. The Lightning enter this game sitting in fourth place in the Atlantic division with a record of 18-6–5. They have found a nice resurgence after struggling to start the year, partly due to Andrei Vasilevskiy missing some games. the Minnesota Wild enter this game in second to last place in the central division only 12 points ahead of the Blackhawks for last place in the division. The Wild have now lost three games in a row and they are underdogs at home tonight against the Lightning. Can the Lightning take this win on the road?

Lightning vs. Wild Date, Time, and Where to Watch

• Date: January 4, 2023
• Game Time: 8:00 pm ET
• Where to Watch: ESPN+

Lightning vs. Wild Odds

• Spread: Lightning -1.5 (+185), Wild +1 (-225)
• Total Odds: O 6 (-120), U 6 (+100)
• Moneyline Odds: Lightning (-130), Wild (+110)

Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Minnesota Wild Prediction

The Minnesota Wild really struggled to start the year, which led to the firing of the head coach Dean Evason. Since then, they have looked a little bit better, but they are currently in a three-game skid after losing to the Winnipeg Jets twice and the Flames at home back on Tuesday. To make matters worse, the Wild are dealing with a lot of injuries, including an injury to their star player Kirill Kaprizov, who leads the team with 34 points overall. Mats Zuccarello, who is second on the team with 28 points, is also injured right now. It doesn’t stop there though, as the Wild are also dealing with injuries to key defenseman like Jonas Brodin, Calen Addison, and Jared Spurgeon.

The Tampa Bay Lightning also started the year off on a sour note, but this is a team that typically tends to heat up in the middle and later part of the season anyway. The Lightning have extensive championship experience, as they've won multiple Stanley Cup trophies over the last five years, and they seem to always be in the playoffs year in and year out. They are starting to get back in with the return of Andrei Vasilevskiy, their former Vezina Trophy winner. Vasilevskiy has rebounded after a slower start to the season and missing time with an injury. He is now 8–8 on the season, allowing just 2.94 goals per game on average, and also saving 90% of shots faced. Compared to the Wild goalie tonight, Marc-Andre Fleury, who has struggled all season. Fleury is 6-7–2 with 3.09 goals allowed per game on average.

This game comes down to momentum. The Wild have been struggling lately, and are dealing with a lot of injuries to some of their best players, including their top two point scores on the season. On top of that, the Lightning also have the better goalie in net tonight in the former Vezina Trophy winner. As short favorites, I expect the Lightning to come out and win tonight.

Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Minnesota Wild Pick

Pick: Lightning ML -126 Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds

NHL Odds

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