Detroit Red Wings vs Tampa Bay Lightning Picks and Predictions February 8th 2025

Detroit Red Wings vs Tampa Bay Lightning February 8th 2025

Betting on today’s Lightning and Red Wings game? Catch the action at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, MI, as the Red Wings hosts this showdown at 1:00 ET on ABC. The Lightning are favored by -1.5 in this Atlantic division showdown. The game’s over/under is currently at 6 goals.

Find expert NHL betting picks and get an edge on the action!

Tampa Bay vs. Detroit Key Information

The Lightning fell to 29-20-4 after a 7-4 road loss to the Jets. Tampa Bay was the underdog on the puck line, and the total of 6.5 goals was surpassed with the teams combining for 11.

Tampa Bay held a 2-0 lead in the first period, but the Jets responded with seven of the next nine goals. Four different Lightning players scored in the game.

Brandon Hagel opened the scoring for the Lightning, netting his 7th goal of the season. Brayden Point followed with his 8th goal, which came on a power play. Mitchell Chaffee added his 4th goal in the second period, and Nikita Kucherov scored his 10th goal, tying the game 4-4 in the third period.

The Lightning took 30 shots on goal and recorded 8 giveaways. They finished with 4 assists in the game.

Tampa Bay’s defense struggled late, allowing the final three goals in a 7-4 loss to Winnipeg, including two empty-netters. The Lightning had tied the game at 4-4, but the Jets scored at 7:38 in the 3rd period, followed by two more. Jonas Johansson made 27 saves with an 84.4% save percentage, while the defense added 6 takeaways and 16 hits.

With a 2-1 win over the Sabres, the Red Wings improved to 28-21-5. Detroit was favored on the puck line, but failed to cover. The total was set at 6.5 goals, and the combined score of 3 fell well short of that mark.

After trailing 1-0 in the first period, the Red Wings responded with two goals in the second. Both of Detroit’s goals came on the power play, courtesy of Dylan Larkin.

Detroit’s offense was held scoreless in the first period before Dylan Larkin found the net twice in the second, bringing his goal tally to 6 and 7 for the season. Larkin took 4 shots on goal, and both of his goals came on power plays.

The Red Wings fired 23 shots on goal but struggled with giveaways, committing 15. Lucas Raymond recorded his 10th assist of the season, while Alex DeBrincat picked up his 4th assist on Larkin’s second goal.

The Red Wings’ defense gave up the first goal 11:39 into the first period, but they shut down the Sabres after that, leading to a 2-1 win. Cam Talbot made 31 saves with a 96.9% save percentage, and the defense added 4 takeaways and 11 hits.

For a moneyline bet, I’m backing the Red Wings to secure a victory over the Lightning at home. With the moneyline currently set at +121, I’m locking in my bet on the Red Wings straight-up.

Our projections have the Red Wings pulling out a win as the underdog. But if you’re not as bullish as we are on the Red Wings, we’d recommend at least getting a bet down on them to cover the puck line.

When considering the over/under line, which is currently at 6 goals, we believe that this game will go over that threshold, and we recommend wagering on the over.

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Red Wings Chasing 8th Straight Win, Host Lightning

The Detroit Red Wings will look to accomplish something they haven’t done in 17 years when they host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday afternoon.

Red Wings Riding Seven-Game Streak

Detroit enters the matchup with a seven-game winning streak, a feat they haven’t extended to eight since Jan. 17-Feb. 5, 2008. This is their second seven-game win streak since Todd McLellan took over as head coach in late December, with their last four victories coming on the road against Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver, and Seattle.

“To go home with eight points in the bank, I’m not sure we thought we would get that when we left, but we chipped away and chipped away,” McLellan said. “The spirit and the belief system have gone up. They’re playing to the structure that we put in. It’s easy when you’re winning, you can get people to believe in things a lot simpler than if you’re losing.”

Each of Detroit’s recent road victories came down to the wire, with two requiring shootouts, one ending in overtime, and another secured with an empty-net goal.

“I think ever since Todd came in, we have proved we’re a good hockey team,” defenseman Moritz Seider said. “We knew we had it in the locker room and we just couldn’t find a spark, and he brought that extra spark, brought us back to life. But still a long way to go.”

With the Eastern Conference standings tightly contested, the Red Wings have played their way back into the playoff hunt. Saturday’s game is critical, as Tampa Bay has one more point than Detroit while having played one fewer game.

“I’m not sure any of us really thought we’d be in this position right now,” Red Wings forward Patrick Kane said. “What a spot we’re in. It’s fun when you’re playing for something every night. We’re in a good spot and we put ourselves there.”

Lightning Staying Hot

Tampa Bay has been in strong form, going 3-0-1 in its last four games, including back-to-back home victories over Ottawa. They eked out a 4-3 win on Tuesday before routing the Senators 5-1 on Thursday.

“It was a massive two games for us,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “We had this five-game homestand, we dropped the first one to Chicago, but for us to get seven out of the next eight (points) was pivotal. Especially against a division rival that we’re neck-and-neck with. And they were hot coming in.”

Superstar Nikita Kucherov has been on a tear, recording at least one point in 16 of the last 17 games, including two assists in Thursday’s win.

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“Obviously a great effort, this was a huge two games for us,” center Jake Guentzel said. “This is our identity; we’ve got to not give up much because that’s a high-scoring team over there. I think it’s easy to get up for these games … playoff mentality against a team we’re fighting against.”

Season Series So Far

Saturday marks the third meeting between the Lightning and Red Wings since Jan. 18. Tampa Bay won the first clash 5-1, led by Kucherov’s goal and two assists. Detroit responded with a 2-0 shutout in the rematch, with Cam Talbot making 28 saves. The final game of their season series will take place in April.

Can Detroit Extend Their Streak?

Both teams are in a tight playoff race, making this a crucial game. Will Detroit push their winning streak to eight, or will Tampa Bay continue their recent dominance?