Lightning vs Red Wings Prediction, Odds & Starting Goalies (Saturday, Feb. 8)

• The red-hot Detroit Red Wings (28-21-5) host division rival Tampa Bay Lightning (29-20-4) on Saturday, February 8.
• Since new coach Todd McLellan took over the Red Wings have been the hottest team in the Eastern Conference and have won seven in a row.
• Check out our full Red Wings vs Lighting prediction, preview and look at the starting goalies for Saturday’s game.

Two teams in the thick of the wild card chase in the Eastern Conference collide in Motown when the Detroit Red Wings (35-19 ATS) take on the Tampa Bay Lightning (26-27 ATS) Saturday at Little Caesars Arena on Saturday, February 8. Puck hits ice at 1 p.m. ET with the game on ABC.

Despite riding a seven-game win streak, the Red Wings are slight underdogs against the Lightning at +125 on the puck line. Detroit hasn’t had an eight-game win streak since 2008. Can the Wings fly past the Lightning and keep moving up the standings?

Here’s our Lightning vs Red Wings prediction for Saturday afternoon hockey.

Lightning vs Red Wings Prediction

Who says mid-season coaching changes don’t work?

Detroit was tied for last place in the Eastern Conference after Christmas when GM Steve Yzerman fired coach Derek Lalonde and brought in McLellan. That immediately triggered a seven-game win streak for the Wings.

The Red Wings are coming off their first 4-0 West Coast/Canada road swing since 1998. Left winger Lucas Raymond, just 22, but in his fourth year in the NHL has taken The Leap. He leads the Wings with 58 points and is on pace for career highs in goals and assists.

Detroit is still an offense-first team. Dylan Larkin and Alex DeBrincat had 23 goals each. Patrick Kane is more of a spot player now (he’s -11 in plus/minus) but has 11 goals.

Meanwhile, Tampa Bay looks like a contender again. Veteran right wing Nikita Kucherov has had a point in five straight games and 16 of his last 17. The 5-time All-Star is one of the best players in the NHL.

Weirdly though, Detroit has had the Lightning number. They blanked Tampa 2-0 on January 25 and they have done well against Tampa star goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy.

The books are giving the Wings 1.5 goals. We will take it and ride the hot team at home. Tampa is below .500 on the road.

• Saturday’s NHL Pick: Red Wings +1.5 goals (-194 at FanDuel)

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Lightning vs Red Wings Odds

Tampa Bay is -150 on the puck line at FanDuel while the Red Wings are +125. The total of 6.5 is right on point for most NHL games.

Detroit has won four of the last five meetings straight up. The Red Wings have also been one of the NHL’s best bets on the books, going 35-19 against the spread this season. Tampa is 26-27 against the number.

Both teams hover around .500 on the over/under line. Tampa is 23-25-5 over under, while Detroit is 25-25-4 over/under. If we had to go one way or the other, we’d probably take the over. Detroit is well rested and likes to score, and they have questions in goal.

Odds as of Feb. 7 at FanDuel Sportsbook. Check out the top NHL betting apps for Saturday afternoon hockey.

Lightning vs Red Wings Projected Starting Goalies

Here’s who we believe will start in goal for Saturday’s Lightning vs Red Wings battle:

Tampa Bay Lightning: Andrei Vasilevskiy 23-15, 2.32 GAA, .919 SV%

The old veteran workhorse has started 41 games already this season with three shutouts. He has led the league in wins five different times in his career.

This season, Vasilevskiy ranks sixth in goals allowed and third in save percentage. His goals-against average is near a career-high for a season. Yet he hasn’t done well against Detroit. Last year he was 0-2 against the Wings and was on the wrong end of a 2-0 loss last month.

Detroit Red Wings: Cam Talbot 16-10, 2.83 GAA, .908 SV%

Detroit has had issues between the pipes the last few years. They thought they had a No. 1 in Ville Husso, but he’s been hurt and has been back and forth to the minors this season.

Talbot isn’t pretty. His goals against average is 29th in the NHL, but he and back-up Alex Lyon have the exact same save percentage, but Talbot played in three of the four games on the Wings’ west coast swing and won all three starts. He’s also a tick better at home: 10-6, and his save percentage is lower by .05.