Detroit Red Wings vs Tampa Bay Lightning: Odds, Spread, and Total
Detroit has fallen out of the Atlantic Division’s top three just as the race for NHL playoff spots heats up. The Red Wings face a tough road game versus the…
Detroit has fallen out of the Atlantic Division's top three just as the race for NHL playoff spots heats up. The Red Wings face a tough road game versus the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday at 7 p.m. EST.
Just as the goaltending corps tends to its wounds, an injury to captain Dylan Larkin stands as a huge factor in the Red Wings' 4-3 loss to the Florida Panthers on Tuesday. Motor City's bid to win falling apart late in the contest was a syndrome that Larkin's leadership could've helped to salve, while there's always a chance Larkin would have produced enough on the attack to help beat a struggling Florida club 5-4.
The Red Wings must take difficult trips to Tampa and Dallas before returning to host Calgary on Monday. It hardly augurs well for Detroit's chances that the Red Wings are fumbling against Florida's teams in general throughout 2025-26, having also lost to Tampa Bay 6-3 in the teams' last encounter.
Spread
- Red Wings +1.5 (-137)
- Lightning -1.5 (+127)
Money line
- Red Wings +182
- Lightning -196
Total
- Over 6 (-106)
- Under 6 (-105)
Note: The above data was collected on March 12, 2026, and may have changed since writing.
Detroit Red Wings vs Tampa Bay Lightning Betting Trends
- Detroit has covered the spread in four out of five road games.
- Tampa Bay has dropped six out of its prior seven contests.
- Totals have gone over in eight of Tampa's last 11 games.
Detroit Red Wings vs Tampa Bay Lightning Injury Reports
Detroit Red Wings
- Center Dylan Larkin is questionable with a leg injury.
- Center Andrew Copp is out with a leg injury.
- Left winger David Perron is on the injured reserve with a groin injury.
Tampa Bay Lightning
- Defenseman Erik Cernak is questionable with an undisclosed injury.
- Center Nick Paul is on the injured reserve with an undisclosed injury.
- Defenseman Emil Martinsen Lilleberg is out with a facial injury.
- Center Dominic James is out for the season with a leg injury.
- Defenseman Maxwell Crozier is out for the season with an abdominal injury.
Detroit Red Wings vs Tampa Bay Lightning Predictions and Picks
General manager Steve Yzerman's acquisition of defenseman Justin Faulk at the trade deadline showed that the Red Wings have every intention of making a run this spring. The issue is that if the banged and bruised lineup of mid-March cannot eke out enough points now, no number of returning players will resurrect the club's playoff chances later on. The Eastern Conference race is that tight in 2026.
Three AHL call-ups are bad news if you're hoping for a quick Larkin return. "The Red Wings blew a late lead against the Florida Panthers on Tuesday … they'll have to try to turn things around without Larkin and Copp, who are both sidelined with lower-body injuries," reports National Today. "The team has recalled Sheldon Dries, John Leonard, and Eduard Tralmaks from their AHL affiliate in Grand Rapids."
If there's a bright angle on Detroit's money line odds, it's that the Tampa Bay Lightning have coasted into a slump after doing great things early in the regular season. Nikita Kucherov's club has its own injury woes at center and on defense. The Bolts are trudging through home games for a team that's favored 2-to-1.
