Tampa Bay Lightning vs Chicago Blackhawks Prediction, Odds and Picks for Today, 01/23/26

The Tampa Bay Lightning and Chicago Blackhawks square off on Friday night in the NHL. Part of an 8-game slate, these teams meet for the second and final time this season following a 3-2 Blackhawks win in October. Here is a Lightning vs Blackhawks prediction.

Chicago has beaten Tampa Bay once this season, but the ‘Hawks probably won’t come close to doing it again. They are coming off a hard-fought 4-3 overtime win over a tough Carolina team and had to travel overnight to their home barn. As for Tampa Bay, its last game was on Tuesday. There is a major rest advantage here — but even if there wasn’t, take a look at recent play. Tampa Bay is absolutely running through the league, with a 13-0-1 record in its last 14. The Bolts’ last regulation loss came almost 5 weeks ago, and they now have the second-shortest odds at winning the Stanley Cup. Their roster completely outmatches the Blackhawks, and they greatly outperform them in goals per game (3.50 vs. 2.71) and goals-against per game (2.48 vs. 3.08). Road games have also been a dream for this team, as it is 18-4-4 on the road this season. The Lightning are extreme favorites today for a reason, and I see them winning by multiple goals. Let’s roll with Tampa Bay -1.5 for this Lightning vs Blackhawks pick.

Lightning vs Blackhawks prediction: Tampa Bay -1.5 (+105) available at time of publishing. Playable to -120.

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