by Chuck Sommers
Sunday, Nov 21, 2021
Time: 5 p.m. ET, November 21, 2021
Venue: Amalie Arena, Tampa, FL
Where to watch: Bally Sports Wisconsin, Bally Sports North, Bally Sports Sun
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Lightning -155, Wild +135
BetMGM: Lightning -154, Wild +125
Caesars: Lightning -149, Wild +130
Season record
Wild: 11-6-0
Lightning: 9-4-3
Al McMordie has been killing it on the hockey rink over the last month, going 13-5-0 and reeling in a net profit of $6,180 in those 18 games. You don’t want to miss what Big Al will bring to the table this week at the rink. Catch Al’s and other plays available right now at the Shop Picks page, where you can find all of the Best Bets from our champion sports handicappers.
Wild - Lightning preview and analysis
Recent form
Wild: 6-4-0 in last 10; lost 5-4 at Panthers on Saturday
Lightning: 7-1-2 in last 10; lost 5-3 vs. Devils on Saturday
The Tampa Bay Lightning will look to start a new point streak when they host the Minnesota Wild at Amalie Arena on Sunday.
The two-time defending Stanley Cup champions had their nine-game point streak end Saturday in a 5-3 loss to the New Jersey Devils. The Lightning, much like the Wild in this matchup, are playing the second game of a back-to-back after playing Saturday.
The Lightning had a 3-1 lead before the Devils erupted for four goals in the final 20 minutes to end the proceedings.
"It wasn't the third (period), their team outworked us," Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said. "It's the National Hockey League. When you get outworked, you're playing with fire. The sense of arrogance we had about us today. We got a lead 3-1 and thought this was going to be easy. We got what we deserved."
Jan Rutta had a goal and an assist, while Pat Maroon and Victor Hedman added goals for the Lightning.
The Lightning quieted the storm to their pedestrian start by going 7-0-2 in the past nine games before losing on Saturday. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 22 saves between the pipes in the loss, and expectations are that Brian Elliott will get the nod on Sunday.
The Wild lost for the third time in five games in a 5-4 loss at the Florida Panthers on Saturday. FLA Live Arena has suddenly turned into the scariest place to play for the league with Florida starting 10-0-0 at home.
But after their hot start, the Wild have cooled off despite the stellar goaltending from Cam Talbot. The veteran made 32 saves in the loss; you should fully expect Kaapo Kahkonen to get the nod with the slight travel.
Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek chipped in with a goal and an assist each, but defensively the Wild just ran into a buzzsaw that’s one of the best teams in the league.
"Great hockey game," Minnesota coach Dean Evason said. "[Florida is] a great team. We're a great team, and it was a great hockey game. It was a fun game. We just came up a little short."
That should be the expectation with Tampa Bay despite Vasilevskiy not being in net. Minnesota will still be buzzing around offensively, but you shouldn’t expect two bad games in a row from the Lightning. Cooper will likely light a fire on them after that performance.
Prediction
The Wild will be down their captain Jared Spurgeon after sustaining a lower-body injury but they have won six of their last seven against Eastern Conference teams. The Lightning, however, has seen the under in four of their last five against a team at a .600 winning percentage or better. If this comes down to goaltending, trust Kahkonen more to get the job done and win his start. Both teams are in need of a bounce-back effort, but I like the Wild in a close one. Wild win 3-2
Betting trends
The Wild are 10-1 in their last 11 playing the third game of a 3-in-4 situation.
The over is 10-1-1 in the Wild's last 12 against the Eastern Conference.
The under is 4-1 in the Lightning's last five as a home favorite.
The underdog has won the last five meetings.
Projected lines
Wild:
Kevin Fiala -- Ryan Hartman -- Mats Zuccarello
Jordan Greenway -- Joel Eriksson Ek -- Marcus Foligno
Kirill Kaprizov -- Victor Rask -- Frederick Gaudreau
Brandon Duhaime -- Nico Sturm -- Rem Pitlick
Alex Goligoski -- Carson Soucy
Jonas Brodin -- Matt Dumba
Jon Merrill -- Dmitry Kulikov
Kaapo Kahkonen
Lightning:
Ondrej Palat -- Brayden Point -- Anthony Cirelli
Alex Killorn -- Steven Stamkos -- Mathieu Joseph
Pat Maroon -- Pierre-Edouard Bellemare -- Corey Perry
Boris Katchouk -- Ross Colton -- Taylor Raddysh
Victor Hedman -- Jan Rutta
Ryan McDonagh -- Zach Bogosian
Mikhail Sergachev -- Cal Foote
Brian Elliott
Statistical leaders
Wild:
Points: Kirill Kaprizov -- 17
Goals: Ryan Hartman -- 9
Assists: Kirill Kaprizov -- 12
TOI: Matt Dumba -- 22:50
Goalie: Cam Talbot -- 9-5-0, 2.95 GAA, .905 SV%
Lightning:
Points: Steven Stamkos -- 18
Goals: Steven Stamkos -- 9
Assists: Victor Hedman -- 13
TOI: Victor Hedman -- 25:49
Goalie: Andrei Vasilevskiy -- 8-3-3, 2.38 GAA, .917 SV%
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Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
