Tampa Bay Lightning vs Minnesota Wild Prediction, 1/4/2024 NHL Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Tampa Bay Lightning vs Minnesota Wild

Date: Thursday, January 4, 2024

Location: Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, MN

TV: Bally Sports North

Odds/Point Spread: Lightning (-112) Wild (-109)

Xcel Energy Center is the location where the Minnesota Wild (16-16-4) will try to beat the Tampa Bay Lightning (18-16-5) on Thursday. The odds on this game have the Lightning at -112 while the Wild open at -109. The over/under comes in at 7.

The Tampa Bay Lightning were on the losing side of the ice with a 4-2 defeat to the Jets in their previous game. The Lightning had an offensive game that was below their expectations in the defeat. For the game, they converted 2 out of the 34 shots they put on goal. They also had 3 power play opportunities and were able to score 2 goals. Tampa Bay garnered 6 penalty mins for this game.

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Tampa Bay Lightning opponents have earned 112 power play tries (20th in professional hockey) and have racked up 22 goals in those chances. The Lightning have had 1,200 shots taken against them and are the owners of a save percentage of .888. Tampa Bay has taken 1,181 shots and has a shooting percentage of 10.7%. When at even strength, the Lightning let the opposition score 113 goals while earning 89 as an offensive unit. Tampa Bay comes into the game with 124 power play opportunities and they have scored 37 goals out of those attempts, giving them a rate of 29.84%. For the current campaign, the have a total of 41 points and their points percentage is .526. When it comes to their scoring capabilities, the Tampa Bay Lightning have racked up 126 goals (6th in pro hockey) on the year and have allowed 135.

The man in net for this game is Andrei Vasilevskiy. Vasilevskiy has played in 441 contests throughout his hockey career. He has amassed a win-loss mark of 271-131-28 and he has started in 431 games. Opponents have tallied 1,097 goals versus Vasilevskiy in his professional career and his average for goals against per game is 2.54. Vasilevskiy has seen 13,372 shot attempts taken against him and he has 12,275 saves. His save percentage currently is at .918 during his 25,923 mins in the crease. Over the course of his career, Vasilevskiy has 245 quality starts and his quality starts percentage sits at .568.

In their last contest, Minnesota opposed the Flames in a game where the Wild took the loss by a final of 3-1. They had 3 power play opportunities in this outing but weren't able to finish one of them with a goal. The Wild scored 1 goal of the 29 shots on goal they tried.

The Wild have earned 86 goals at even strength and 22 goals (21st in hockey) while on the power play. Minnesota has attempted 1,089 shots (24th in the NHL) and has earned a shot percentage of 9.92%, while allowing the opposition 1,093 shots. So far this season, the Minnesota Wild have tallied 108 goals, 36 points, and a points percentage of .500. They have permitted 114 goals to be scored by of a combination of 80 goals at even strength and 34 goals while they had less men on the ice. They have a tally of 121 power play opportunities and they have accumulated a power play rate of 18.18%. They have accumulated a penalty kill rate of 72.80% on their oppositions 125 opportunities on the power play, and their save percentage sits at 89.6%.

On the other side of the ice you will find Marc-Andre Fleury in goal. He has accounted for 26,046 stops out of the 28,547 shots attempted, which gives him a rate of .912. Fleury is the owner of a lifetime mark of 550-322-93 and has been in net for 1,001 games. He has made the start in 842 games and has played 57,956 mins. Fleury's quality start percentage sits at 55.1% and he has earned 464 quality starting assignments in his NHL career. His opponents are averaging 2.59 goals per game and he has surrendered 2,501 goals overall.

Who will win tonight's NHL game against the spread or moneyline?

Josh's Pick: Take Minnesota (-109)

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