Wild vs. Lightning Prediction & Picks - Oct. 8

The Tampa Bay Lightning (2-1) host the Minnesota Wild (2-0-1) at Benchmark International Arena on Thursday, Oct. 8 at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+. The Lightning knocked off the Philadelphia Flyers 4-1 in their most recent game, while the Wild are coming off a 3-2 overtime loss to the Buffalo Sabres.

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Prepare for this matchup with a glimpse at who we project to come out on top in Thursday's game.

Wild vs. Lightning Predictions for Thursday

Our computer projections model for this game predicts a final score of Wild 3, Lightning 2.

• Moneyline Pick: Wild (+122)
• Total Pick: Under 5.5 (computer predicts 4.8 goals on average)
• Spread Pick: Wild (+1.5)

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Lightning Splits and Trends

• The Lightning went 12-8-20 in overtime contests last season as part of an overall record of 50-26-6.
• Tampa Bay picked up 34 points (14-12-6) in the 32 games it played that were decided by one goal.
• In the 11 games last season the Lightning registered just one goal, they went 3-7-1 (seven points).
• Tampa Bay finished 5-12-4 in the 21 games last season when it scored exactly two goals (registering 14 points).
• The Lightning were 45-7-3 when they scored more than two goals (to register 93 points).
• In the 30 games when Tampa Bay scored a single power-play goal, it had a 17-9-4 record (38 points).
• In the 51 games when it outshot its opponent, Tampa Bay was 30-15-6 (66 points).
• The Lightning were outshot by their opponent in 36 games, going 21-13-2 to register 44 points.

Wild Splits and Trends

• The Wild had a 16-14-30 record in overtime contests last season, and a 46-24-12 overall record.
• Minnesota accumulated 43 points (17-5-9) in its 31 games that finished with a one-goal margin.
• Across the 11 games last season the Wild finished with just one goal, they picked up four points.
• Minnesota picked up 12 points (4-12-4 record) last season when scoring two goals .
• The Wild scored more than two goals 62 times, accumulating 100 points (46-8-8).
• Minnesota scored a lone power-play goal in 38 games last season and registered 47 points.
• When outshooting its opponent last season, Minnesota was 23-12-5 (51 points).
• The Wild's opponents had more shots in 51 games last season. The Wild finished 27-15-9 in those contests (63 points).

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Team Stats Comparison (2025-26)

Wild vs. Lightning Game Time and TV Channel

• When: Thursday, October 8, 2026 at 7 p.m. ET
• TV Channel: ESPN+
• Live Stream: Watch this game on ESPN+
• Where: Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, Florida

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