Tampa Bay Lightning vs Minnesota Wild Prediction, Preview and Odds - 03/03/2026

Game Time: 9:30 pm ET, Tuesday, March 3, 2026

Venue:  Grand Casino Arena, St Paul, MN

Where to Watch:  HBO Max, TNT, truTV

DraftKings:  Moneyline:  Lightning -125, Wild +105; Over/Under:  6.5 goals

Bet365:  Moneyline:  Lightning -125, Wild +105; Over/Under:  6.5 goals

BetMGM:  Moneyline:  Lightning -125, Wild +105; Over/Under:  6.5 goals

Tampa Bay Lightning:  38-16-4 (1st place, Atlantic Division)

Minnesota Wild:  35-16-10 (3rd place, Central Division)

Do not miss out on our expert handicapper analysis! Doc’s Sports is on a HOT STREAK in the NHL on an 18-12 NHL RUN for +$5,190 PROFIT! Make sure you check out his picks and many more from the expert handicappers featured in the Shop Picks section.

Tampa Bay Lightning:  7-3-0 last 10

Minnesota Wild:  7-2-1 last 10

The Lightning are entering this game with 80 points, a 38-16-4 record overall, and they are 19-6-4 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a loss against the Buffalo Sabres in their last game, losing that one at home 6-2. Victor Hedman and Dominic James each scored 1 goal for them in that one. Victor Hedman, Darren Raddysh, and Oliver Bjorkstrand each led the team in assists with 1 while Brandon Hagel led the team in shots on net in that game with 8. Andrei Vasilevskiy was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 5 goals on 14 shots with 9 saves and a .643 save percentage before getting replaced by Jonas Johansson who allowed 1 goal on 21 shots. Their offense has scored 209 goals this season averaging 3.6 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 153 goals against them allowing 2.6 goals per game.

The Wild are entering this game with 80 points, a 35-16-10 record overall, and they are 17-7-7 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a loss against the St Louis Blues in their last game, losing that one at home 3-1. Kirill Kaprizov scored 1 goal for them in that one. Matt Boldy and Quinn Hughes each led the team in assists with 1 while Kirill Kaprizov led the team in shots on net in that game with 5. Filip Gustavsson was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 2 goals on 23 shots with 21 saves and a .913 sv percentage. Their offense has scored 204 goals this season averaging 3.3 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 179 goals against them allowing 2.9 goals per game.

The current betting odds have the Wild listed as a slight underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Wild have looked really good in their games this season with their 35-16-10 record overall which has them right near the top of their division in the West. They have looked great on home ice too with their 17-7-7 home record this season. Meanwhile, the Lightning have looked great in their games this season with their 38-16-4 record overall which has them right at the top of their division in the East. They have been a great road team too with their 19-6-4 road record this year. Both of these teams have been rolling lately as the Lightning are 7-3-0 in their last 10 games while the Wild are 7-2-1, but both teams have also struggled since coming back from the Olympic Break. The Lightning and the Wild have both lost 2 games in a row now and both teams will be looking to bounce back. The Wild are off a 3-1 loss to the Blues in their last one while the Lightning are off a 6-2 home loss to the Sabres, but the Lightning have also had some trouble with their goaltending lately. Goaltending has been a strong suit for them all season, but lately they have been giving up a ton of goals with both of their goalies struggling in starts. That is going to give the edge to the Wild in this one as the Wild have the home advantage, but they also have 2 great goaltenders along with a great defense to back them up. This is good value for a team like the Wild at home, the Wild being one of the best teams in the NHL all season, so look for the Wild to bounce back and edge the Lightning out with the home advantage. The best way to place a bet here is on the Wild to win this game. 

Lightning Wild Prediction:  Our NHL Pick for Tuesday, March 3, 2026 (9:30 pm ET start time) is Wild 3 Lightning 2.

Don't miss our champion handicappers free picks and expert hockey picks today. And if you enjoyed this Tampa Bay Lightning Minnesota Wild prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our weekly NHL predictions and previews.

Tampa Bay Lightning: 57-30 (+13.9 units) on the moneyline in non-conference games. 73-40 (+18.3 units) on the moneyline after playing a home game. 42-26 (+12.1 units) on the moneyline when playing against a marginal winning team (Win Pct. 51% to 60%). 11-3 UNDER after allowing 6 goals or more.

Minnesota Wild: 60-55 (-6.9 units) on the moneyline in home games. 30-43 (-6.2 units) on the moneyline as an underdog of +100 to +150. 46-65 (-11.6 units) on the moneyline when playing against a team with a winning record. 29-21 UNDER after 2 or more consecutive losses.

Tampa Bay Lightning:  G. Goncalves (C) Day To Day - Undisclosed. D. James (C) Day To Day - Leg. N. Paul (LW) Out - Undisclosed. M. Crozier (D) Out - Abdomen.

Minnesota Wild:  M. Foligno (LW) Day To Day - Lower-Body. F. Gustavsson (G) Day To Day - Illness. J. Brodin (D) Out - Lower Body.

"It's really disappointing actually, you know, being 50-plus games in and putting ourselves in this position to come out and play like this. No push back, no urgency, no drive, no attention to detail. We just gave up a decently skilled team so much open ice. I'm surprised they didn't have 10. I'm really disappointed with our compete level." - Jon Cooper after his team’s loss against the Sabres in their game on Saturday.

“I thought it was a hard-fought game. I thought we had enough looks to be able to get more than one goal. I thought we did some things that we needed to do. Sometimes you can play a hard-fought game and not find a way to win it." - John Hynes after his team’s loss against the Blues in their game on Sunday.

LW Brandon Hagel

C Anthony Cirelli

RW Nikita Kucherov

LD Janis Jérôme Moser

RD Darren Raddysh

G Andrei Vasilevskiy

LW Kirill Kaprizov

C Ryan Hartman

RW Mats Zuccarello

LD Quinn Hughes

RD Brock Faber

G Filip Gustavsson

Points: Nikita Kucherov (95)

Goals: Nikita Kucherov (31)

Assists: Nikita Kucherov (64)

GAA: Andrei Vasilevskiy (2.22)

Points: Kirill Kaprizov (74)

Goals: Matt Boldy (35)

Assists: Kirill Kaprizov (40)

GAA: Filip Gustavsson (2.58)

Coaches:

Tampa Bay Lightning: Jon Cooper (14th season)

Minnesota Wild: John Hynes (3rd season)