Tampa Bay Lightning vs Pittsburgh Penguins NHL Betting Prediction

NHL Lightning vs Pittsburgh Penguins Prediction 1/12/2025

The Tampa Bay Lightning (22-15-3) travel to face off against the Pittsburgh Penguins (18-18-8) on Sunday, January 12th. This game will be played at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh and televised on ESPN+. The Penguins are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Lightning are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Jets. Puck drop is set for 5:00 ET.

Lightning vs Penguins

tampa bay lightning nhl

The Tampa Bay Lightning Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

Tampa Bay fell to 22-15-3 after a 7-4 loss to the Jets. The Lightning held a 2-0 lead early, but Winnipeg responded with seven of the game’s final nine goals. Tampa Bay entered the game as underdogs on the puck line, with the total set at 6.5 goals. The 11 combined goals easily surpassed that mark.

Four different players scored for the Lightning, but their defense struggled, especially in the third period, where they allowed four goals. Nikita Kucherov’s goal at 13:09 in the third tied the game at 4-4, but the Jets pulled away with three unanswered goals, including two empty-netters.

The Pittsburgh Penguins Are Coming Off A Win

With a 3-1 win over the Canadiens, the Penguins moved to 18-18-8 this season. Pittsburgh covered the puck line as -1.5 goal favorites, and the total of 4 goals fell short of the 6.5-goal line.

Sidney Crosby scored twice for the Penguins, who had two players find the net in the game. Blake Lizotte added the third goal with just 0:45 left in the third period.

Tampa Bay Offense Breakdown

Brandon Hagel opened the scoring for the Lightning with his 7th goal of the season, followed by Brayden Point’s 8th, which came on a power play. Mitchell Chaffee added his 4th goal, and Nikita Kucherov netted his 10th, scoring unassisted in the third period.

Tampa Bay fired 30 shots on goal and recorded 8 giveaways. The Lightning had 4 assists in the game, with Jake Guentzel picking up his 8th assist of the season.

Penguins Offense Breakdown

pittsburgh penguins

Sidney Crosby led the way for Pittsburgh in their 3-1 win over Montreal, scoring twice on his three shots on goal. Blake Lizotte added his second goal of the season, finding the net on his lone shot, which came on an empty net with 45 seconds left in the game.

The Penguins took 24 shots on goal and scored their second goal on a power play. They had 14 giveaways and got on the board early, with Crosby’s fourth goal of the season coming just 4:03 into the first period.

Tampa Bay Team Defense

Tampa Bay’s defense struggled late, giving up three goals in the third period, including two empty-netters, which led to a 7-4 loss to the Jets. Goalie Jonas Johansson made 27 saves with an 84.4% save percentage. Defensively, the Lightning recorded 6 takeaways and 16 hits.

Pittsburgh Team Defense

Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 25 shots with a 96.2% save percentage, helping the Penguins to a 3-1 victory over the Canadiens. Pittsburgh’s defense added 5 takeaways, 19 hits, and 19 blocks. The only goal they allowed came at 5:32 in the 3rd period.

Lightning vs Penguins Trends

  • In their last five road games, Tampa Bay has averaged 1 goals per game while allowing 2. The team’s record in this stretch was 1-4 while going 3-2.
  • In their last three games at home, the Penguins have a straight up record of 1-2 while going 1-2 vs. the spread. The team averaged 2 goals per game in this stretch.
  • Through their last three games as the betting underdog, the Penguins have a strong record vs the puck line going 2-1. Their straight up mark in these contests is 1-2.
  • Going back to their last five games as the favorite, the Lightning have a straight up record of 2-3. But, their mark vs the puck line was just 2-3.

Lightning vs Penguins Prediction

For a moneyline bet, I’m backing the Lightning to secure a victory over the Penguins on the road. With the moneyline currently set at -147, I’m locking in my bet on the Lightning straight-up.

If you’re looking for a puck line bet, I’d suggest going with the Penguins to cover. Even in the event of a Lightning victory, this game is expected to be closely fought, and the Penguins should cover the puck line.

When considering the over/under line, which is currently at 6.5 goals, we believe that this game will go over that threshold, and we recommend wagering on the over.


All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!


* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.