Red Wings vs. Lightning Odds
| Red Wings Odds | +152 |
| Lightning Odds | -184 |
| Over / Under | 6.5 -110o / -110u |
Here's everything you need to know about the Detroit Red Wings vs Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday, April 1 – our expert NHL prediction and pick.
After a strong start to the season, the Red Wings have fallen off. They lost four games in a row and went 3-11 in the month of March. Detroit’s playoff hopes are looking awfully slim.
If there was a perfect time to be red hot, the Lightning found it. They’ve gone 9-0-1 in their last 10 games and have made themselves comfortable in the playoff race.
Let's dive into our Red Wings vs Lightning prediction and pick.
Detroit Red Wings
It seemed as if the Red Wings were turning the corner, but then they came back down. Lucas Raymond is pointless in his last four games, and Alex DeBrincat has only one goal since Feb. 27. The only players who are producing at a consistent level are captain Dylan Larkin and Patrick Kane.
Over the past two weeks, Detroit has still played below-average 5-on-5 hockey. It’s ranked 23rd in expected goals with a 46.5 xGF% and is worse defensively with a 3.5 xGA/60.
What has worked out for the Wings is their ability to score on the power play. They’ve scored at a 23% clip over the past 10 games, and the penalty kill has fared well at 79%.
The goaltending situation in Detroit is a head-scratcher. Both Ville Husso and James Reimer have dealt with injuries. With Reimer back playing, he and Alex Lyon are taking the reins. Lyon is having a decent season and is doing the best he can, and Reimer has looked decent since returning. Reimer may start tonight and has had a .911 SV% over his past five starts.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Nikita Kucherov continues to be a marvel across the league. In the past 16 games — in which he has a point in 15 of them — he registered a staggering 33 points. Brayden Point is also on a heater with nine goals in seven games. Aside from them, the usual suspects in Victor Hedman and captain Steven Stamkos continue to produce at a high rate.
The Lightning’s 5-on-5 play has been pretty solid over the past two weeks. They’ve played to a 13th-best 51.94 xGF% and a fourth-best 2.55 xGA/60.
Tampa’s special teams have been nothing short of elite, scoring at a 32% clip on the power play while being stifling on the penalty kill at 97% over the past 10 games.
The Lightning's weakness this season was goaltending, but Andrei Vasilevskiy is slowly starting to look like his old self. Over this 10 game stretch, Vasilevskiy is playing to a .911 SV%, continuing to build on his rising -0.9 GSAx.
Red Wings vs. Lightning
Betting Pick & Prediction
This game is an incredibly important one, especially for the Red Wings. They win this game and they’ll be in the final Wild Card spot.
However, trends are leaning toward favoring the Lightning. Tampa is one of the league’s hottest teams right now, while Detroit continues to falter when the spotlight gets bigger.
The Red Wings are a horrible defensive team with shoddy goaltending, so it only makes sense that Tampa is the heavy favorite. Obviously, the puck line is listed at plus value, which is no surprise. But with the elite talent on both ends of the ice, I have to believe the Lightning are going to come out with a big win.
Pick: Lightning -1.5 (+126)
