Minnesota Wild vs Tampa Bay Lightning Prediction, Preview and Odds - 10/08/2026

Game Time: 7:00 pm ET, Thursday, October 8, 2026

Venue:  Benchmark International Arena, Tampa, FL 

Where to Watch:  ESPN+

DraftKings:  Moneyline:  Wild +124, Lightning -148; Over/Under:  5.5 goals

Bet365:  Moneyline:  Wild +125, Lightning -150; Over/Under:  5.5 goals

BetMGM:  Moneyline:  Wild +125, Lightning -150; Over/Under:  6 goals

Minnesota Wild:  2-0-1 (2nd place, Central Division)

Tampa Bay Lightning:  2-1-0 (3rd place, Atlantic Division)

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Minnesota Wild:  2-0-1 last 3

Tampa Bay Lightning:  2-1-0 last 3

The Wild are entering this game with 5 points, a 2-0-1 record overall, and they are 1-0-1 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a loss against the Buffalo Sabres in their last game, losing that one on the road 3-2 in overtime. Danila Yurov and Maxim V. Shabanov each scored 1 goal for them in that one. Blake Coleman, Jared Spurgeon, Michael McCarron, and Quinn Hughes each led the team in assists with 1 while Matt Boldy led the team in shots on net in that game with 7. Jesper Wallstedt was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 3 goals on 28 shots with 25 saves and a .893 save percentage. Their offense has scored 9 goals this season averaging 3 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 5 goals against them allowing 1.7 goals per game.

The Lightning are entering this game with 4 points, a 2-1-0 record overall, and they are 2-0-0 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a win against the Philadelphia Flyers in their last game, winning that one at home 4-1. Ilya Mikheyev, Pontus Holmberg, Brandon Hagel, and Brayden Point each scored 1 goal for them in that one. Nikita Kucherov led the team in assists with 2 while Brandon Hagel led the team in shots on net in that game with 8. Andrei Vasilevskiy was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 1 goal on 14 shots with 13 saves and a .929 sv percentage. Their offense has scored 8 goals this season averaging 2.7 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 7 goals against them allowing 2.3 goals per game.

The current betting odds have the Lightning listed as a favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Lightning have looked good in their games this season with their 2-1-0 record overall which has them right near the top of their division in the East. They have looked great on home ice too with their 2-0-0 home record this season. Meanwhile, the Wild have looked good in their games this season with their 2-0-1 record overall which has them right near the top of their division in the West. They haven't been a great road team so far with their 1-0-1 road record this year. The Wild just took their 1st loss of the season to the Sabres in OT and they blew a 2-0 lead in that game. They were one of the best teams in the NHL last season with one of the best defenses too and that defense has looked great to start this year, but the offense is off to a slower start. The Lightning are coming off a 4-1 win over the Flyers in their last one and they have been a really good team in the NHL for years. They weren't as good last season, but they still have a ton of talent along with one of the best goaltenders in the league. They have looked great in their 2 home games this season and they are going to have the edge being on home ice. Their defense has also looked great this season, so they have the talent to go toe-to-toe with the Wild in this one. Look for the Lightning to pick up another win on home ice. The best way to place a bet here is on the Lightning to win this game. 

Wild Lightning Prediction:  Our NHL Pick for Thursday, October 8, 2026 (7:00 pm ET start time) is Lightning 3 Wild 2.

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Minnesota Wild: 100-84 (+7.6 units) on the moneyline in all games. 39-41 (+9.2 units) on the moneyline as an underdog of +100 to +200. 25-25 (+5.9 units) on the moneyline when playing against a good team (Win Pct. 60% to 75%). 5-0 UNDER against good defensive teams - 27 shots on goal or less, convert 15% pp or less.

Tampa Bay Lightning: 103-76 (-10.2 units) on the moneyline in all games. 89-55 (-4.7 units) on the moneyline as a favorite. 8-11 (-8.6 units) on the moneyline against good starting goalies - saving 91.5% of shots against or more. 26-19 UNDER after allowing 1 goal or less in their previous game.

Minnesota Wild:  N. Foligno (LW) Day To Day - Upper Body. B. Faber (D) Out - Skull. F. Gustavsson (G) Out - Hip.

Tampa Bay Lightning:  D. James (C) Day To Day - Hand. E. Lilleberg (D) Out - Undisclosed. Y. Gourde (C) Out - Hip.

“I think Yurov and Shabanov are two guys that we need to step up and play well for us. I think they have. They've both had good training camps, good exhibition games, good first few games, so it was nice to see them be able to get on the board tonight because I think they've had multiple opportunities in prior games and didn't go in for them.” - John Hynes after his team’s loss against the Sabres in their game on Tuesday. 

"Game 1 ... we're not the only team that laid an egg in Game 1. There are a lot of teams in the League that had some tough outings. What I really like is that our next two have been pretty darn good." - Jon Cooper after his team’s win against the Flyers in their game on Monday. 

LW Blake Coleman

C Joel Eriksson Ek

RW Matt Boldy

LD Quinn Hughes

RD Jared Spurgeon

G Jesper Wallstedt

LW Gage Goncalves

C Brayden Point

RW Nikita Kucherov

LD Janis Jérôme Moser

RD John Carlson

G Andrei Vasilevskiy

Points: Quinn Hughes (4)

Goals: Kirill Kaprizov (3)

Assists: Quinn Hughes (3)

GAA: Jesper Wallstedt (1.63)

Points: Nikita Kucherov (4)

Goals: Nikita Kucherov (1)

Assists: Nikita Kucherov (3)

GAA: Andrei Vasilevskiy (2.05)

Coaches:

Minnesota Wild: John Hynes (4th season)

Tampa Bay Lightning: Jon Cooper (15th season)