NHL Best Bets: Wild vs. Lightning Game Picks

Two teams looking to snap out of their recent losing skids are set to collide tonight, with the Minnesota Wild visiting the Tampa Bay Lightning.

All Odds Courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

Minnesota Wild (+136) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (-164) Total: 6 (O-122, U+100)

The Lightning and Wild are both looking to return to the postseason, and each side appears to be in good shape as the end of January looms. In saying that, both the Wild and Lightning have lost a pair of games in a row, while Minnesota has posted a 5-3-2 record over their past ten games, compared to the Lightning sitting at 6-4. 

Tampa Bay has been an extremely dominant home team, which has seen them post a 17-4-1 record. Minnesota handled the Lightning earlier this season on home ice 5-1. The Lightning are listed as favorites on the moneyline at -164, while the Wild are priced at +136. Even with the Wild defeating the Lightning already, this pricing makes sense when you consider what these teams are capable of and how hard it is to beat a team twice in a row. 

Looking toward the projected goalie matchup tonight, the visiting Wild are expected to start Marc-Andre Fleury, while the Lightning should do the same with Andrei Vasilevskiy. The Wild netminder has posted a 14-9-3 record, paired with a .902 save percentage, while Vasilevskiy is sitting at 20-12-1, along with a .916 save percentage. Tampa Bay should continue having the edge in net in this matchup, especially when you consider Vasilevskiy’s known home success. 

The Lightning have brought a slightly more consistent brand of hockey to the table this season, and with their home dominance, there’s value in targeting them tonight. Even if the price isn’t perfect, siding with the Lightning on the moneyline at -164 is the direction bettors should lean. 

Best Bet: Lightning moneyline (-164) 

We’ve already seen these two teams combine for six goals, and that’s exactly what the total is set at tonight, with the over priced at -122 and the under coming in at +100. Over the Wild’s past five games, three have seen six or more goals scored, while the Lightning have seen that transpire in four of their past five. With two goalies who boast solid track records, there’s always the case to be made that this could be a low-scoring affair tonight. Still, the recent trends demonstrate that we should likely side with the over six tonight at -122. 

Best Bet: Over 6 (-122) 

There are a lot of talented goal scorers suiting up for this matchup tonight, and the Lightning appear to have just a little more star power in that category. Steven Stamkos has continued to fill the net with goals and has tallied five goals over their past five games to lead the team. In addition, Stamkos has already lit the lamp 23 times on the campaign and is someone you can make a case for to target on any given slate. The Lightning captain is currently listed at +160 to score tonight, and this price has too much value to avoid. 

Best Prop: Steven Stamkos to Record Over 0.5 Goals (+160)