The Tampa Bay Lightning (18-16-5) travel to face off against the Minnesota Wild (16-16-4) on Thursday, January 4th. This game will be played at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. Both the Lightning and Wild will be looking to bounce back from losses in their previous games. Puck drop is scheduled for 8:00 ET.

Tampa Bay Lightning vs Minnesota Wild

The Tampa Bay Lightning Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

Facing the Wild, the Lightning have a record of 18-16-5 so far. At home, their record is 11-5-3 and 7-11-2 on the road. Their current record places them 4th in the Eastern Atlantic division and 10th in the Eastern conference. Tampa Bay comes in with 12 wins with a margin of more than one goal this season and lost 15 games by multiple goals. Their overall puck line performance is 18-21.

After suffering a 4-2 loss on the road to the Jets, the Lightning are looking to bounce back today. In the 3rd period, the Lightning found the net one time against the Jets after their one goal in the first period. Their two goals came during a power play situation. In total, they took 34 shots on goal and had 11 giveaways.

As the underdog, Tampa Bay suffered both a straight-up and loss vs. the puck line. The game ended with a total of 6 goals, resulting in a push on the over/under.

The Minnesota Wild Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

This season, the Wild have a mark of 16-16-4. When going on the road, Minnesota has a record of 6-10-2 record, while they are 10-6-2 at their home arena. This record has them sitting 7th in the Western Central division and 13th in the Western conference. Minnesota’s average scoring margin this season is -0.1, leading to an overall puck line record of 20-16. At their home arena, they have a scoring margin of +.1, while on the road, it is -0.3.

The Wild aim to bounce back following their 3-1 loss at home to the Flames. The Wild offense struggled in the first and third periods versus the Flames, but they did score one time in the second period. For the game, Minnesota’s only goal came at even strength. Overall, they had 29 shots on goal vs. Calgary.

Coming in as the underdog, Minnesota not only lost straight-up but also failed to cover the puck line. Combining for 4 goals, the game finished below the over/under line of 6.

Tampa Bay Offense Breakdown

The Lightning come into the game scoring an average of 3.2 goals per game, putting them 7th in the NHL. Regarding shots targeted at the goal per game, they are 10th in the league. This season, the Lightning have a 11-11 record in games where they outshoot their opponent. In games with fewer shots on goal, they hold a 7-5 record.

This season, the over/under record for the Lightning’s is 17-18-4. Over the course of the season, they have had 19 games that exceeded the over/under line of 6. On average, their games are averaging 6.7 goals per game.

Minnesota Offense Breakdown

On offense, the Wild are averaging 3 goals per game which is 25th in the NHL. In terms of shots on goal per game, they are 24th in the league. In terms of power play goals, the Wild offense is 22nd in power play goals. As for shorthanded goals, they are 27th in the NHL.

This season, the over/under record for the Wild’s is 17-16-3. Over the course of the season, they have had 18 games that exceeded the over/under line of 6. On average, their games are averaging 6.3 goals per game.

Tampa Bay Team Defense

In terms of defense, the Lightning head into the game ranked 8th in goals allowed. On average, opponents are taking 30.6 shots per game against Tampa Bay. So far, they are 5th in shutouts, achieving 3 shutouts.

Minnesota Team Defense

Defensively, the Wild come into the season ranked 20th in goals allowed. Opponents are averging 30.2 shots per game against Minnesota. For the season, they are ranked 19th in shutouts, coming in with 2 shutouts.

Lightning vs Wild Trends

• Across the Lightning last three road games, the team averaged 2 goals per game while allowing 3. Their record vs the puck line in these contests was 0-3, while going 1-2 straight-up.
• In their last five home games, Minnesota has averaged 3 goals per game while allowing 3. The team’s record in this stretch was 2-3 while going 4-1.
• Spanning across their last five games as the betting underdog, the Wild have gone 3-2 vs the spread. Their overall record in these games was 2-3.
• Against the spread, the Lightning have put together of 1-4 in their last five games as the betting favorite. In these same games, they went 4-1 straight up.

Lightning vs Wild Prediction

When it comes to a moneyline wager, I’m going with the Lightning to defeat the Wild while playing on the road. Given the current moneyline odds at -133, I’m placing a wager on the Lightning to win outright.

When it comes to my suggested pick for the puck line, I’d advise taking the Wild to cover. Even in the event of a Lightning victory, this matchup is likely to remain closely contested, and the Wild should cover the puck line.

When considering the over/under line, which is currently at 6 goals, we believe that this game will go over that threshold, and we recommend wagering on the over.

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

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* 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.