Tampa Bay Lightning vs Carolina Hurricanes Prediction, Preview and Odds - 02/26/2026

Game Time: 7:00 pm ET, Thursday, February 26, 2026

Venue:  Lenovo Center, Raleigh, NC

Where to Watch:  ESPN+

DraftKings:  Moneyline:  Lightning +130, Hurricanes -155; Over/Under:  6.5 goals

Bet365:  Moneyline:  Lightning +130, Hurricanes -155; Over/Under:  6.5 goals

BetMGM:  Moneyline:  Lightning +130, Hurricanes -155; Over/Under:  6.5 goals

Tampa Bay Lightning:  37-14-4 (1st place, Atlantic Division)

Carolina Hurricanes:  36-15-6 (1st place, Metropolitan Division)

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Tampa Bay Lightning:  8-1-1 last 10

Carolina Hurricanes:  8-0-2 last 10

The Lightning are entering this game with 78 points, a 37-14-4 record overall, and they are 19-5-4 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a win against the Florida Panthers in their last game, winning that one at home 6-1, but this is also the 2nd game of a back-to-back for them with their game against the Toronto Maple Leafs still to be played on Wednesday night. In their game against the Panthers, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Pontus Holmberg, Brandon Hagel, Erik Černák, Jake Guentzel, and Zemgus Girgensons each scored 1 goal for them in that one. Oliver Bjorkstrand, Pontus Holmberg, Darren Raddysh, Dominic James, Gage Goncalves, Nikita Kucherov, Ryan McDonagh, Victor Hedman, and Yanni Gourde each led the team in assists with 1 while Victor Hedman led the team in shots on net in that game with 5. Andrei Vasilevskiy was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 1 goal on 34 shots with 33 saves and a .971 save percentage. Their offense has scored 199 goals this season averaging 3.6 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 140 goals against them allowing 2.5 goals per game.

The Hurricanes are entering this game with 78 points, a 36-15-6 record overall, and they are 21-8-2 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a win against the New York Rangers in their last game, winning that one on the road 2-0. Andrei Svechnikov and Jordan Staal each scored 1 goal for them in that one. Jackson Blake, Mark Jankowski, and Nikolaj Ehlers each led the team in assists with 1 while Nikolaj Ehlers, Jaccob Slavin, and Shayne Gostisbehere each led the team in shots on net in that game with 5. Brandon Bussi was the starting goalie in that game and he recorded the shutout as he allowed 0 goals on 16 shots with 16 saves and a 1.000 sv percentage. Their offense has scored 197 goals this season averaging 3.5 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 163 goals against them allowing 2.9 goals per game.

The current betting odds have the Hurricanes listed as a favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Hurricanes have looked great in their games this season with their 36-15-6 record overall which has them right at the top of their division in the East. They have looked great on home ice too with their 21-8-2 home record this season. Meanwhile, the Lightning have looked great in their games this season with their 37-14-4 record overall which has them right at the top of their division in the East. They have been a great road team too with their 19-5-4 road record this year. The Lightning have looked great lately as they are one of the best teams in the East and they were one of the hottest teams in the NHL going into the Olympic Break. They are 8-1-1 in their last 10 games and went into the break off a 6-1 win over the Panthers, but that long break is going to kill a lot of the momentum they had and they aren't in a great situation here either. They are playing this game on a back-to-back with a tough game against the Maple Leafs in their first game back from the break. The Hurricanes were also rolling going into the break. They are off a 2-0 road win over the Rangers in their last one and they are also 8-0-2 in their last 10 games. They are in a much better situation though since they don't need to travel for this first game back from the break, and this is also their first game back from the break so they are going to have rest on their side. The Hurricanes are also one of the best home teams in the NHL this year, so look for them to take advantage of a Lightning team in a bad situation here and also missing their head coach due to personal reasons. The best way to place a bet here is on the Hurricanes to win this game. 

Lightning Hurricanes Prediction:  Our NHL Pick for Thursday, February 26, 2026 (7:00 pm ET start time) is Hurricanes 3 Lightning 2.

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Tampa Bay Lightning: 65-48 (+13.9 units) on the moneyline when playing against a team with a winning record. 103-68 (+8.4 units) on the moneyline against poor power play killing teams - opp score on over 17.5% of chances. 95-60 (+18.2 units) on the moneyline against excellent power play teams- scoring on over 17.5% of their chances. 6-1 OVER against good offensive teams - 29 shots on goal or more, convert 17% pp or more.

Carolina Hurricanes: 150-97 (-11.4 units) on the moneyline in all games. 80-68 (-24.9 units) on the moneyline as a favorite of -200 or less. 35-26 (-9.7 units) on the moneyline after allowing 1 goal or less in their previous game. 12-6 OVER as a home favorite of -200 or less.

Tampa Bay Lightning:  N. Paul (LW) Out - Undisclosed. M. Crozier (D) Out - Abdomen. A. Cirelli (C) Day To Day - Upper Body.

Carolina Hurricanes:  E. Robinson (LW) Out - Upper-Body. P. Kochetkov (G) Out For Season - Undisclosed.

“Just full focus on this. We’ve just got to get ready from the start, a divisional opponent right away (Wednesday), so it’s gonna be a lot of fun.” - Victor Hedman on coming out of the Olympic Break strong.

"When you can snap 'em back, you can run your plays. That's kind of what we were alluding to earlier in the year when we put him out there. We were kind of missing that. You've seen it, really, since he's been in there; there've been a lot of occasions where that's happened... He's been very effective." - Rod Brind’Amour on Jordan Staal this season. 

LW Brandon Hagel

C Brayden Point

RW Nikita Kucherov

LD Janis Jérôme Moser

RD Darren Raddysh

G Andrei Vasilevskiy

LW Andrei Svechnikov

C Sebastian Aho

RW Seth Jarvis

LD Jaccob Slavin

RD Jalen Chatfield

G Brandon Bussi

Points: Nikita Kucherov (91)

Goals: Nikita Kucherov (29)

Assists: Nikita Kucherov (62)

GAA: Andrei Vasilevskiy (2.11)

Points: Sebastian Aho (57)

Goals: Seth Jarvis (25)

Assists: Sebastian Aho (37)

GAA: Brandon Bussi (2.16)

Coaches:

Tampa Bay Lightning: Jon Cooper (14th season)

Carolina Hurricanes: Rod Brind'Amour (8th season)