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Two of the top teams in the NHL face off as the Tampa Bay Lightning visit the Minnesota Wild. It is time to continue our NHL odds series with a Lightning-Wild prediction and pick.
The Lightning come into the game sitting at 7-3-0 on the year. They have won four of the last five games overall. Last time out, they faced the Colorado Avalanche. The Lightning took a 3-0 lead in the first period and would go on to win the game 5-2.
Meanwhile, the Wild come into the game sitting at 6-1-2. After their first loss in regulation, the Wild rebounded last time out. They would face the Penguins last time out, and the Penguins took a 2-0 lead in the first period but the Wild would tie it up. The Wild then took the lead in the second period and would go on to win 5-3.
Jake Guenztel has been solid since joining the Lightning. Guenztel scored 30 goals between his time in Pittsburgh and Carolina last year while having 47 assists. Guentzel has four goals and seven assists on the year. Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov will join him on the top line. Point had 46 goals and 44 assists last year for 90 total points. He has six goals and five assists this year. Meanwhile, Kucherov was great last year, with 44 goals and 100 assists, good for 144 points last year. Kucherov already has nine goals and eight assists on the season.
The Lightning also returned Brandon Hagle to help the second line. Hagel played all 82 games last year with 26 goals and 49 assists, good for 76 total points. Hagle has six goals and six assists this year. He is joined by Anthony Cirelli, who has two goals and ten assists this year. The third line is headlined by Nicholas Paul, who already has three goals and six assists this year. Finally, the Lightning brought back their top blueline option. Victor Hedman had 13 goals and 63 assists last year, good for fourth on the team in points. Hedman has two goals and seven assists this year.
It is expected to be Andrei Vasilevskiy in the goal for this one. He is 5-3-0 on the year with a 2.54 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage. He has been great in his last three starts. Over his last three starts, Vasilevskiy has allowed four goals on 104 shots, good for a .962 save percentage.
Why the Wild Could Cover the Spread/Win
The Wild's top line is led by Kirill Kaprizov, Marco Rossi, and Mats Zuccarello. Kaprivoz led the way last year, with 46 goals 50 assists, and 50 total points. He has already had five goals and 13 assists this year. Rossi had 21 goals and 19 assists last year and has already scored three times with five assists this year. Finally, Zuccarello had 12 goals and 51 assists last year. He has five goals and four assists this year.
Matt Boldy has already been great this year. He leads the second line of the offense for the Wild. He has four goals and seven assists so far on the year. Boldy had 29 goals and 40 assists last year. Meanwhile, his linemate Marcus Johansson has scored once and has two assists this year. They are joined by Joel Eriksson Ek on the second line. Eriksson Ek has four goals and two assists this year.
Filip Gustavsson is expected to be in goal for the Wild in this one. He is 4-1-1 on the year with a 2.17 goals-against average. He is coming off his worst start of the year. He allowed six goals on 22 shots to take the loss. It was the first time all year he gave up more than two goals, and the first time this year he was below .939 in save percentage.
Final Lightning-Wild Prediction & Pick
The odds in this early season NHL game suggest a close game. The Lightning have been solid this year, scoring 3.90 goals per game, while sitting eighth in the NHL, allowing just 2.80 goals per game this year. Meanwhile, the Wild are scoring 3.78 goals per game, and the defense has also been stellar, giving up just 2.56 goals per game this year. With both goalies playing great, expect this to be a tight and low-scoring game. That makes the best play in this one on the total. Take the under in this one.