Two of the NHL’s most penalized teams are set to meet at Amalie Arena on Tuesday, as the Tampa Bay Lightning (29-15-1) host the Minnesota Wild (25-16-4).Minnesota is wrapping up a four-game road trip coming off a high-scoring 5-3 loss against the Panthers on Saturday.
The Wild took advantage of their power play opportunities, scoring twice on two shots, while also conceding a power play goal. Matt Boldy, Joel Eriksson Ek, and Jared Spurgeon each scored once for the Wild. Kirill Kaprizov had three assists to lead the team in scoring.
Filip Gustavsson saved only 22 of 26 shots against (.846%) in the loss. Tampa Bay fell 6-3 to the Flames on Saturday. Steven Stamkos, Anthony Cirelli, and Vladislav Namestnikov each scored once for the Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy saved only 35 of 39 shots against (.897%) in the loss.
HEAD TO HEAD
The Wild won the first meeting between the teams this season, a 5-1 victory on January 4. Calen Addison led Minnesota with three points (1G 2A). Brayden Point scored Tampa Bay’s only goal. Gustavsson got the win, saving 34 of 35 shots (.971%).
FACING OFF
Minnesota is averaging 3.11 goals per game for the season, 17th in the NHL, and they are taking on a Lightning team that is allowing 2.98 goals a game (15th). Meanwhile, Tampa Bay has found the net 3.60 times a game on average, fifth in the league, and the Wild are allowing opponents to score 2.84 goals per game (11th).
Don’t be surprised to see multiple power play opportunities between the teams, as the Wild and Lightning have more penalties per game than most teams in the NHL. The Wild are averaging 4.56 penalties/game, fifth-most in the league, while the Lightning have been penalized 4.60 times a game on average (30th).
The Lightning’s 27.10% power play percentage is the second-best in the league, while the Wild rank 11th with a conversion rate of 24.11%. When it comes to penalty killing, Tampa Bay has the league’s 12th-ranked PK% at 80.54%, while Minnesota is 16th at 79.08%.
TOP PERFORMERS:
With 56 points this season, Kaprizov is the top skater for the Wild. He has 26 goals and 30 assists in 45 games. In the net, Gustavsson (11-6-1) is Minnesota’s top goaltender by goals against average. He has a 2.16 GAA, second-best in the league, and a .926% save percentage, also second-best.
Marc-Andre Fleury (14-9-3) leads the Wild in games played in goal. He has a GAA of 2.94 and a save percentage of .902%.Nikita Kucherov leads the Lightning in scoring with 66 points (3rd in the league).
He has a league-best 48 assists and 18 goals (). Vasilevskiy (20-11-1) is the top goalie for Tampa Bay with a goals against average of 2.50. He has a save percentage of .917%.
HOME AND AWAY
Minnesota is 12-8-3 away from home this season. Tampa Bay is looking for a 10th straight home win this season.
SportsTips’ NHL Pick:
TB Lightning (-165)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
