Minnesota has no other player with at least 30 points. The Wild also don’t have an elite offensive defenseman. Jared Spurgeon certainly isn’t bad. He had 40 points last season and is holding his own in 2022-23 with five goals and 18 points in 36 contests. That’s only good enough for 34th place in the defensemen scoring race though, and it’s well behind both Hedman and Sergachev. The result is that Minnesota’s offense can be best described as average.
Prior to Tuesday’s action, Tampa Bay was 16-5-0 in its last 21 games while Minnesota was 14-5-0 in its latest 19 contests. On top of that, both teams are almost completely healthy at the time of writing, so injuries shouldn’t be a significant factor. The Lightning of course have the greater reputation given their three trips to the Stanley Cup Finals from 2020-2022, but Tampa Bay will also be playing in its second road game in as many nights while the Wild will be well rested going into their first game of 2023. Is that enough to tip the scales in Minnesota’s favor? Let’s take a closer look at these two squads.
The 33-year-old is shooting 19. 7 percent, which is up from 15. 2 in 2021-22 and his career average of 12. 2, so it wouldn't be surprising to see that dip as the campaign progresses. 1 DAY AGO • ROTOWIRE Victor Hedman - Keeps rolling Tuesday Hedman registered two assists in a 4-1 victory over Chicago on Tuesday. Impact Hedman also had a plus-2 rating, a shot and three blocks in 23:59 of ice time. He's recorded a goal and 25 points in 32 games this season. Hedman has been hot lately, contributing 15 assists in his last 12 contests, including seven helpers in his most recent four games.
The Strength of Lightning Tampa Bay is a team without many flaws. Andrei Vasilevskiy did get off to an uncharacteristically poor start, posting a 5-5-1 record, 3. 10 GAA and. 898 save percentage in his first 11 games, but since then he’s been 11-4-0 with a 1. 93 GAA and. 938 save percentage, so any serious goaltending concerns Tampa Bay might have had are well in the rear-view mirror. The Lightning traded away Ryan McDonagh to Nashville over the summer for cap reasons, which left Tampa Bay with a potentially significant hole in its defense. But they still have Mikhail Sergachev and Victor Hedman as the cornerstones of their defense. Their blueline is suspect beyond those two, but with Hedman and Sergachev both averaging around 24 minutes per game, they’ve been able to smooth over the potential depth issues.
57 goals per contest. Nikita Kucherov, who missed most of the previous two campaigns, has excelled this season with 13 goals and 53 points in 35 contests. He’s backed by Steven Stamkos and Brayden Point, who have 41 and 37 points respectively. Most teams would be happy having any of those three as the driving force of their offense. The fact that the Lightning feature all three is an amazing luxury.
Tampa Bay Lightning News - NHL The 37-year-old has gone 7-2-0 with a 3.31 GAA and an .894 save percentage, and this is one of the best matchups he could get, so he'll be a solid
Impact Paul's marker came at 18:54 on an empty net. The 27-year-old has 14 goals and 22 points in 36 contests this season. He had been held off the scoresheet in his previous five games. 1 DAY AGO • ROTOWIRE Brian Elliott - In goal Tuesday Elliott will guard the road goal Tuesday versus the Blackhawks, Eduardo A.
Impact Maroon found the back of the net at 11:24 of the first period to tie the game at 1-1. It was his second goal and sixth point in 36 games this season. Maroon entered the contest averaging just 9:55 of ice time this season and, unless his role grows significantly, the 34-year-old is unlikely to make regular offensive contributions. 1 DAY AGO • ROTOWIRE Alex Killorn - Stays hot Tuesday Killorn netted a goal in Tampa Bay's 4-1 victory over Chicago on Tuesday. Impact Killorn provided the game-winner at 7:11 of the third period. He's contributed four goals over his last five contests, bringing him up to 12 markers and 26 points in 36 games in 2022-23.
The Over/Under is set at 6. 5 goals and with a hot Vasilevskiy projected to face a hot Fleury or Gustavsson, I think the under looks pretty appealing. It’s true that Tampa Bay still has a great forward core, but it will be going out there on no rest, which might make the Lightning’s offense a little less scary Wednesday. While I would give the Wild the edge in this contest, the under on DraftKings comes with a possible payout of -110, so it’s a bigger potential return than you’d get from taking Minnesota on the moneyline. That’s great because even if the odds were identical, I’d still take the under as I see it as the safer play.
Tampa Bay Lightning News - NHLMinnesota hosts Tampa Bay following Hartman's 2-goal showing The Minnesota Wild host the Tampa Bay Lightning after Ryan Hartman's two-goal game against the St. Louis Blues in the Wild's 5-2 win15 HOURS AGO • ASSOCIATED PRESS Lightning strike late to open road trip with win in Chicago Tampa Bay scores three goals in the third period to beat the last-place Blackhawks. 19 HOURS AGO • TAMPABAY. COM Hagel, Killorn help Lightning beat lowly Blackhawks 4-1 Alex Killorn snapped a tie in the third period, and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-1 for their fourth straight victory19 HOURS AGO • ASSOCIATED PRESS Pat Maroon - Scores goal vs. Chicago Maroon scored a goal in a 4-1 win against Chicago on Tuesday.
Tampa Bay isn’t devoid of offensive depth either. There are eight players who have recorded more than 20 points. For comparison, the Wild have four players with more than 20 points. Success in Minnesota Minnesota doesn’t feature Tampa Bay’s offensive depth, nor does it match the Lightning in terms of raw star power. It is true that Kirill Kaprizov is an elite forward with 20 goals and 45 points in 36 games while Mats Zuccarello is an ideal compliment to him, providing 16 markers and 40 points in 36 contests. But if that’s Minnesota’s counterbalance to Kucherov and Stamkos, then where the Wild fall short is in an equivalent to points.
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1 DAY AGO • ROTOWIRE Brandon Hagel - Gets two points vs. Blackhawks Hagel tallied a goal and an assist in a 4-1 victory over Chicago on Tuesday. Impact Hagel's marker was scored during a Tampa Bay power play. He improved to 15 goals and 30 points in 36 contests in 2022-23. The 24-year-old has found the back of the net in three of his last four games. 1 DAY AGO • ROTOWIRE Nicholas Paul - Snaps five-game scoring drought Paul provided a goal in a 4-1 win against the Blackhawks on Tuesday.