Tampa Bay Lightning vs Winnipeg Jets Prediction, Odds and Picks for Today, 03/05/26

The Tampa Bay Lightning continue their 4-game road trip on Thursday night with a trip to Winnipeg to face the Jets. The Bolts are looking to get back on track, as they’ve dropped 3 games in a row entering this contest. Despite their recent skid, they should feel good about their chances about leaving Winnipeg with a win. The Jets have been among the most disappointing teams in the NHL this season, and they entered Wednesday 9 points out of a playoff spot in the Western Conference. Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck played out of his mind leading Team USA to a Gold medal in Italy, but he has struggled back stateside. Hellebuyck is 1-0-2 with a 2.89 goals-against average and .903 save percentage following the Olympics. It doesn’t help that the offense in front of him has provided little support, which has been a common theme all season long.

Winnipeg’s 2.83 goals per game ranks 24th in the NHL, and things won’t get any easier going up against Andrei Vasilevskiy. The Tampa Bay netminder owns a stellar .914 save percentage to go along with a 2.26 goals-against average this season, and he seems to have a favorable matchup against Winnipeg’s struggling offense in this one. The Bolts have been great on the road all year long, and I’m expecting them to come out with a spirited effort and a heightened sense of urgency as they look to end their 3-game losing streak. Back the Bolts on the road.

Lightning vs Jets prediction: Lightning ML (-185) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.