The Tampa Bay Lightning (+100) will be out to build on their winning run when they are on the road to take on the Minnesota Wild (-120) at Xcel Energy Center on Wednesday. The total is 6.5 (O: -110, U: -110)Tampa Bay (24-11-1) is playing on back-to-back days after earning a 4-1 win over the Blackhawks yesterday, their fourth consecutive win. The Lightning committed six penalties in the game, conceding one power play goal.
Four players found the net for the Lightning. Brandon Hagel scored and provided an assist to share the scoring lead with Victor Hedman, who had two assists. Brian Elliott saved an impressive 25 of 26 shots (.961%) in the win.
Minnesota (21-13-2) beat the Blues 5-2 on Saturday. Ryan Hartman was the leading goal scorer for the Wild, netting twice. Marc-Andre Fleury was impressive in the win, making 29 saves (.935%).
HEAD TO HEAD
The teams split their two meetings last season, the last of which was a 4-2 victory for the Wild in November. Four players were on the scoresheet for Minnesota. Corey Perry and Alex Killorn were on the scoresheet for Tampa Bay. Cam Talbot got the win, saving 28 of 30 shots (.933%).
FACING OFF
Tampa Bay is averaging 3.58 goals per game for the season, third in the NHL, and they are taking on a Wild team that is allowing 2.81 goals a game (11th). Meanwhile, Minnesota has found the net 3.14 times a game on average, 18th in the league, and the Lightning are allowing opponents to score 2.83 goals per game (12th).
Power play opportunities are likely to be plentiful for the Lightning, as the Wild have been penalized 4.72 times a game, fourth-most in the NHL, for an average of 12.64 minutes (second-highest). The visitors are averaging 4.39 penalties (eighth) and 10.22 penalty minutes a game (8th).
The Lightning’s 27.56% power play percentage is the fifth-best in the league, while the Wild rank 12th with a conversion rate of 23.48%. In terms of penalty killing, Tampa Bay has the league’s ninth-ranked PK% at 82.20%, while Minnesota is 14th at 79.67%.
TOP PERFORMERS:
With 53 points this season, fourth-most in the NHL, Nikita Kucherov is the top skater for the Lightning. He leads the league with 40 assists and has added 13 goals of his own. In the net, Andrei Vasilevskiy (16-9-1) is Tampa Bay’s top goaltender. He has a 2.42 GAA and a .921% save percentage.
Kirill Kaprizov leads the Wild in scoring with 45 points (10th in the league). He has 20 goals and 25 assists in 36 games. Filip Gustavsson (8-5-1) has the best goals against average for Minnesota at 2.34. He has a save percentage of .920%. Fleury (13-8-1) has played the most games in net for the Wild this season. He has a 2.82 GAA and a .904% save percentage.
HOME AND AWAY
Tampa Bay is 9-7-0 away from home this season. Minnesota is 11-7-1 at home this season. Meanwhile, the Lightning are 3-3 without a day off and 3-3 playing with a rest disadvantage. The Wild are 5-0 with a rest advantage.
SportsTips’ NHL Pick:
TB Lightning (-105)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
