Minnesota Wild - Tampa Bay Lightning predictions and free betting tips [05/01/2024]

The Minnesota Wild will host the Tampa Bay Lightning in an upcoming regular-season match

Minnesota Wild

The Minnesota Wild has recently faced a host of challenges, including defeats from Calgary and two from Winnipeg in a home series. The team lost its top scorer, Kirill Kaprizov, the first goalkeeper, Filip Gustavsson, and veteran Marcus Foligno due to injuries. The next match against Tampa Bay Lightning will be a test for a team that recently underwent a psychological reboot after a three-day rest. In Kaprizov's absence due to injury, Marcus Johansson took his place in the first link. The team demonstrated their strength earlier by defeating Detroit with a score of 6:3, and Boston Bruins 3:2, which marked their third consecutive minimal lead victory. After the coaching change to Hynes, Wild won 7 of the last 11 matches.

Minnesota's goalkeeper Gustavsson is showing a record of 10-9-2 and 90.4% of shots defended. Kaprizov is the team's point leader with 34 points, including 13 goals. Wild average 3.09 goals per game and concede 3.19. Following Gustavsson's injury, veteran Marc-Andre Fleury, who is approaching Patrick Roy's NHL win record, is expected to replace him. This season Fleury plays with a 3.09 GAA and a .896 save percentage.

Tampa Bay Lightning

The Tampa Bay Lightning has recently displayed inconsistent results, winning 5 of their last 10 games, including victories over teams like Washington, Montreal, Vegas, St. Louis and Edmonton. One of the team's recent home games saw them turning the match around, bouncing back from 0:2 and beating Montreal 4:3. The team's average goals conceded in the season is 3.33, while they allow an average of 3.49 goals per game. The last three-match home series included two losses from Rangers and Florida, but also a victory over Montreal. In the recent match, Tampa Bay lost 2:4 to Winnipeg, where defender Victor Hedman stressed the need to maintain a positive team mood.

Team leader Nikita Kucherov is approaching the achievement of scoring 300 career goals, this season he already has 63 points, including 27 goals. Head coach Jon Cooper is striving for 500 career victories, all with the Lightning. The team is witnessing injuries to key players, including Nick Paul, Erik Cernak, and Hayden Fleury. Goalkeeper Andrei Vasilevsky shows a shot save percentage of 89.69% after returning from injury and averages 3 goals conceded per match. In the last match, Kucherov scored 1 goal and made 1 assist, while Russian defender Mikhail Sergachev missed 8 games due to injury.

Head-to-Head

Wild won 3 of the last 5 matches, but the last meeting was claimed by Tampa on January 25, 2023, with a score of 4:2, Minnesota responded with a 5:1 victory earlier in the year.

Forecast for the Minnesota Wild - Tampa Bay Lightning Match

Given the recent games and the current situation in the teams, Tampa Bay Lightning has a good chance of winning the upcoming game against Minnesota Wild. Minnesota has encountered serious troubles due to the injuries of key players, including their top scorer, Kirill Kaprizov, and the main goalkeeper, Filip Gustavsson. In light of these roster losses, veteran Marc-Andre Fleury, whose current form raises questions, especially considering his shot save percentage of .896, will step into the goalkeeping position.

On the other hand, Tampa Bay, while it has faced some troubles in recent matches, still boasts a strong lineup and good form from leading players. Team leader Nikita Kucherov continues to demonstrate high results, approaching the achievement of 300 career goals. My bet is on the visitors' victory.