Hockey Lightning vs Wild Betting (Jan. 4): Tampa Bay, Minnesota Clash in High-Scoring Affair

[James]

Only three games are on the NHL’s Wednesday, Jan. 4 schedule, including a mix-up between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Minnesota Wild. Tampa Bay enters this one on a winning streak while Minnesota has had issues winning back-to-back games lately, making it interesting to see who’ll emerge the victor in the latest Lightning vs Wild affair.

Momentum is on the Lightning’s side following a 4-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday. Brian Elliott was stellar between the pipes, turning away 25 of the 26 shots he faced while four different Tampa Bay players scored to help extend their club’s winning streak to four games.

Meanwhile, the Wild have been alternating between wins and losses for nearly two weeks now. The good news is that they defeated the St. Louis Blues 5-2 in their last outing, led by Ryan Hartman scoring his third and fourth goals of the 2022-23 season.

As with most notable matchups, there are plenty of betting opportunities in this Lightning vs Wild tilt. Here’s a look at FanDuel Sportsbook’s latest odds for the games, as well as a prediction and the best bet to make, courtesy of Betting News.

Tampa Bay Lightning vs Minnesota Wild Matchup Information and Betting Odds​

Matchup Information​

• Matchup: Tampa Bay Lightning (24-11-1, 9-7-0 Away) vs. Minnesota Wild (21-13-2, 11-7-1 Home)
• Venue & Location: Xcel Energy Center (St. Paul, Minnesota)
• Date: Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2023
• Game Time: 9:30 p.m. Eastern Time
• Lightning vs Wild Info: TNT

Lightning vs Wild Odds​

Game odds are via FanDuel as of Wednesday, Jan. 4 at 10 a.m. ET. Odds from other top online sportsbooks may also be mentioned in this article.

Spread​

• Tampa Bay Lightning +1.5 (-265)
• Minnesota Wild -1.5 (+210)

Over/Under​

• Over 6 Goals (-118)
• Under 6 Goals (-104)

Moneyline​

• Tampa Bay Lightning -106
• Minnesota Wild -113

Tampa Bay Lightning vs Minnesota Wild Betting Trends​

• Tampa Bay is 9-2 straight up in its last 11 games.
• Minnesota is 7-1 straight up in its last eight home games.
• The total has hit the over in 12 of Tampa Bay’s last 18 games against the Central Division.
• The total has hit the over in five of Minnesota’s last seven games against Tampa Bay.

Tampa Bay vs Minnesota Prediction and Picks​

Lightning vs Wild Prediction: Lightning 5, Wild 3

Lightning vs Wild: Lightning ML (Best Value: -106 at FanDuel) & Over 6 Goals (Best Value: -118 at FanDuel)

Even though winning has come easy for the Lightning lately, that hasn’t been the case when the Wild are involved.

On top of being 1-6 straight up in the last seven meetings between these two teams, the Lightning have also lost nine straight trips to Xcel Energy Center. Tampa Bay has been outscored 31-15 by Minnesota over that stretch, having not won in St. Paul since April 2011.

With the way that the Wild have been playing at home lately, it’s going to be tough for the Lightning to succeed. The Wild have won seven of their last eight home games, outscoring opponents 28-19 while also boasting a 31.8% success rate on the power play.

Kirill Kaprizov has been a beast in those games, pacing his teammates in goals (six), assists 10 and points 16. Even Mats Zuccarello and Joel Eriksson Ek have stepped up their play in those games, tallying 11 and eight points, respectively.

Having said that, the Wild weren’t always perfect in those contests. Opposing teams recorded a 25.9 PP% over that stretch and now the Wild must face a Lightning team that have the fifth-best unit (27.6%) when it comes to the man advantage.

Can the Lightning take advantage of the Wild’s penalty kill struggles?
Furthermore, Minnesota’s penalty is only operating at 73.3% over the last four games. If the Wild find themselves in penalty trouble early on, things could get ugly quickly.

The Lightning will also have Andrei Vasilevskiy between the pipes and his presence always gives them an advantage. The former Vezina Trophy winner is 9-3-0 in his last 12 starts with a 1.75 goals-against average (GAA) and .942 save percentage (SV%).

Even though the Wild’s Filip Gustavsson is 7-1-0 with a 1.74 GAA, .936 SV% and one shutout in his last eight appearances, Vasilevskiy has experience on his side. He’s one of the harder goalies to rattle in the league and I’m not sure if Gustavsson has what it takes to out-duel him.

Riding high on the momentum from last night’s victory, I see the Lightning winning for the first time at Xcel Energy Center in over a decade. While the Wild are extremely talented in their own right, their inability to win back-to-back games lately only makes me have more faith in a surging Tampa Bay squad.

In the event of a Lightning “upset,” I recommend backing them at -106 on the moneyline. Had Tampa Bay not played last night, I could see the Bolts being favored here, meaning those odds are quite the bargain.

I’m also taking the over on the 6-goal total. Five of the last seven Lightning vs Wild matchups have experienced the over, leading to an average total of 6.9 goals. Considering how both offenses have been looking strong as of late, I’m expecting a lot of action tonight.