Detroit Red Wings vs Tampa Bay Lightning Prediction, Odds and Picks for Today, 03/12/26

The Detroit Red Wings and Tampa Bay Lightning are set for an Atlantic division matchup on Thursday night at Benchmark International Arena in Tampa. These teams have met twice earlier this season, with the most recent meeting resulting in a 6-3 win for the Lightning on November 28 in Detroit. Like that contest, Thursday night’s contest could also be of the higher-scoring variety. The Bolts have scored 14 total goals over their last 3 games, which included a wild 8-7 loss to the Sabres on Sunday night. Nikita Kucherov continues to post other-worldly numbers, as he’s up to 104 points on 34 goals and 70 assists in 59 games this season. Kucherov has torched the Red Wings in his career, totaling 54 points on 21 goals and 33 assists in 41 career games against Detroit. With key contributors like Jake Guentzel and Brandon Hagel also rolling, Kucherov should be able to lead the Bolts to a solid offensive effort.

The Red Wings have been without captain Dylan Larkin over the last 2 games, as he is dealing with a lower body injury. However, they’ve scored 6 total goals in those 2 games, and it seems that there’s a decent chance he is able to suit up for this one. But even if he isn’t able to, Detroit forwards Lucas Raymond, Alex DeBrincat, and Patrick Kane are more than capable of picking up the slack. Tampa Bay goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy has not been great since the Olympic break, as he’s allowed 3+ goals in 4 of 5 games since February 28. All in all, both offensive attacks seem to have the edge in this matchup.

Red Wings vs Lightning prediction: Over 6 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.