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 took down the Philadelphia Flyers 4-1 in their last outing, while the Wild are coming off a 3-2 overtime loss to the Buffalo Sabres.

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Here's our pick for who will clinch the win in Thursday's game.

Wild vs. Lightning Predictions for Thursday

Our computer model for this contest calls for a final tally of Wild 3, Lightning 2.

• Moneyline Pick: Wild (+125)
• Total Pick: Under 6 (computer predicts 4.8 goals on average)
• Spread Pick: Wild (+1.5)

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Lightning Splits and Trends

• The Lightning (50-26-6 overall) had a 12-8-20 record last season in games that went to overtime.
• In the 32 games Tampa Bay played that were decided by one goal, it had a 14-12-6 record (good for 34 points).
• In the 11 games last season the Lightning registered only 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 at least three goals (to record 93 points).
• In the 30 games when Tampa Bay recorded a single power-play goal, it had a 17-9-4 record (38 points).
• In games when it outshot its opponent, Tampa Bay was 30-15-6 (66 points).
• The Lightning's opponent had more shots in 36 games last season. The Lightning went 21-13-2 in those matchups (44 points).

Wild Splits and Trends

• The Wild had a record of 46-24-12 last season and were 16-14-30 in overtime contests.
• Minnesota accumulated 43 points (17-5-9) in its 31 games that finished with a one-goal margin.
• In 11 games last season when the Wild ended up with only one goal, they picked up four points (1-8-2).
• Minnesota picked up 12 points (4-12-4 record) last season when scoring exactly two goals .
• The Wild picked up 100 points in their 62 games when they scored more than two goals.
• Last season Minnesota scored a single power-play goal in 38 games and picked up 47 points, with a record of 20-11-7.
• When outshooting its opponent last season, Minnesota was 23-12-5 (51 points).
• The Wild were outshot by their opponents in 51 games last season, going 27-15-9 to register 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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