Tampa Bay Lightning vs Vegas Golden Knights Prediction, Preview and Odds - 10/20/2026

Game Time: 10:30 pm ET, Tuesday, October 20, 2026

Venue:  T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, NV 

Where to Watch:  ESPN

DraftKings:  Moneyline:  Lightning -105, Knights -115; Over/Under:  6.5 goals

Bet365:  Moneyline:  Lightning -105, Knights -115; Over/Under:  6 goals

BetMGM:  Moneyline:  Lightning -105, Knights -115; Over/Under:  6 goals

Tampa Bay Lightning:  6-2-0 (2nd place, Atlantic Division)

Vegas Golden Knights:  8-2-0 (1st place, Pacific Division)

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Tampa Bay Lightning:  6-2-0 last 8

Vegas Golden Knights:  8-2-0 last 10

The Lightning are entering this game with 12 points, a 6-2-0 record overall, and they are 1-2-0 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a win against the Vancouver Canucks in their last game, winning that one at home 4-2. Nikita Kucherov led the team in goals scored with 2 while Jake Guentzel and Pontus Holmberg each scored 1 goal for them in that one. Brayden Point led the team in assists with 2 while Nikita Kucherov led the team in shots on net in that game with 7. Dennis Hildeby was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 2 goals on 14 shots with 12 saves and a .857 save percentage. Their offense has scored 25 goals this season averaging 3.1 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 21 goals against them allowing 2.6 goals per game.

The Golden Knights are entering this game with 16 points, an 8-2-0 record overall, and they are 5-1-0 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a win against the Pittsburgh Penguins in their last game, winning that one at home 6-2. Mark Stone, Trevor Connelly, Brett Howden, Noah Hanifin, Rasmus Andersson, and Shea Theodore each scored 1 goal for them in that one. Mark Stone, Jack Eichel, and Mitch Marner each led the team in assists with 2 while Noah Hanifin, Marc Gatcomb, and Raphael Lavoie each led the team in shots on net in that game with 3. Adin Hill was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 2 goals on 24 shots with 22 saves and a .917 sv percentage. Their offense has scored 42 goals this season averaging 4.2 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 24 goals against them allowing 2.4 goals per game.

The current betting odds have the Golden Knights listed as a slight favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Golden Knights have looked great in their games this season with their 8-2-0 record overall which has them right at the top of their division in the West. They have looked great on home ice too with their 5-1-0 home record this season. Meanwhile, the Lightning have looked really good in their games this season with their 6-2-0 record overall which has them right near the top of their division in the East. They haven't been a good road team though with their 1-2-0 road record this year. The Lightning are coming off a 4-2 win over the Canucks in their last one and they have won 2 games in a row now, but they have looked like a different team in their road games this year. They have had a lot more trouble in those games and they have had some offensive issues too. Their defense has looked great this season, but they haven't been scoring a lot of goals and that will be a big factor in this one. The Golden Knights have also been rolling to start the season and they have some momentum on their side with 3 wins in a row now. They are coming off a 6-2 win over the Penguins in their last one and their offense has been rolling this season. They have been scoring a ton of goals in their games which is going to give them the edge here, and their defense hasn't looked that bad either. They have also looked a lot better in their home games too, so look for the Golden Knights to continue rolling in this one with the better offense. The best way to place a bet here is on the Golden Knights to win this game. 

Lightning Golden Knights Prediction:  Our NHL Pick for Tuesday, October 20, 2026 (10:30 pm ET start time) is Knights 3 Lightning 2.

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Tampa Bay Lightning: 107-77 (-7.8 units) on the moneyline in all games. 8-16 (-6.3 units) on the moneyline as an underdog of +100 to +200. 84-62 (-10.7 units) on the moneyline against poor power play killing teams - opp score on over 17.5% of chances. 20-10 UNDER versus very good teams - outscoring their opponents by 0.5+ goals/game.

Vegas Golden Knights: 16-7 (+5.7 units) on the moneyline after a blowout win by 4 goals or more. 18-6 (+10.2 units) on the moneyline after scoring 6 goals or more in their previous game. 21-15 (+5 units) on the moneyline when playing against a good team (Win Pct. 60% to 75%). 24-16 UNDER after a 3 game winning streak.

Tampa Bay Lightning:  Y. Gourde (C) Out - Hip.

Vegas Golden Knights:  P. Wotherspoon (D) Out - Upper Body. V. Olofsson (LW) Out - Undisclosed. L. Cormier (D) Out - Undisclosed. K. Uchacz (C) Out - Undisclosed.

"The puck went in for (Kucherov) tonight. He really has that shooter's mentality going on right now and I love it. That's how pucks go in the net, especially for guys like him." - Jon Cooper after his team’s win against the Canucks in their game on Saturday. 

“It's important that you're coming down to the puck. We have guys that can make that play. I talk about spacing and timing. It's important that you're coming down to the puck. We have a net presence or middle lane drive on those, so that helps. It forces teams to make decisions, forces teams to sort out that rush or return to D zone, and when we have our guys on time with that, we have guys that can make plays too.” - Ryan Craig after his team’s win against the Penguins in their game on Saturday. 

LW Brandon Hagel

C Anthony Cirelli

RW Nikita Kucherov

LD Janis Jérôme Moser

RD John Carlson

G Andrei Vasilevskiy

LW Ivan Barbashev

C Jack Eichel

RW Mark Stone

LD Brayden McNabb

RD Shea Theodore

G Adin Hill

Points: Brandon Hagel (11)

Goals: Brandon Hagel (6)

Assists: Nikita Kucherov (7)

GAA: Dennis Hildeby (2.01)

Points: Jack Eichel (18)

Goals: Mark Stone (7)

Assists: Jack Eichel (13)

GAA: Adin Hill (2.21)

Coaches:

Tampa Bay Lightning: Jon Cooper (15th season)

Vegas Golden Knights: Ryan Craig (1st season)