Tampa Bay has not played since Saturday and Winnipeg has lost two in a row. The Jets are twenty-third in their first season without Connor Hellebuyck, and the goaltender who replaced him has the better save percentage in this game. The call, the team news and the Canadian odds follow.
How to watch
| Detail | |
|---|---|
| Game | Winnipeg Jets at Tampa Bay Lightning |
| Date | Thursday 29 October 2026 |
| Puck drop | 7:00pm ET |
| Venue | Benchmark International Arena |
| Records | Winnipeg 4-5-3, Tampa Bay 7-3-1 |
Regional listings can differ from the national one, and blackouts apply in parts of Canada. Our how to watch the NHL in Canada page sets out the options.
Lightning vs Jets odds
Moneyline prices from 3 Canadian sportsbooks, captured on 28 October. American odds throughout.
| Sportsbook | Winnipeg | Tampa Bay |
|---|---|---|
| Betano | +185 | −256 |
| PROLINE | +180 | −263 |
| PlayAlberta | +189 | −227 |
These are stored prices rather than live ones, and a hockey line moves the moment a starting goaltender is confirmed, so check before you bet. Availability varies by province: PlayAlberta is a provincial platform rather than open-market books, and the private sportsbooks operate where they hold a licence. Our NHL betting sites page sets out which operates where, and who is expected in net is on our projected NHL starting goalies page.
Winnipeg is twenty-third and the goals have dried up
The Jets are 4-5-3 on eleven points with a goal difference of minus eight. They lost 5-1 at home to Florida on Tuesday and 2-1 to Montréal at the Heritage Classic before that.
Twenty-seven goals in twelve games is the problem. Only four clubs have scored less. The defence has held up better than the record suggests, and five of their nine defeats have been by a single goal.
Stuart Skinner has carried the crease since the Hellebuyck trade and sits at .911 across eight starts, which is a better number than Tampa Bay’s starter has managed. Josh Morrissey is out until around 3 November with a wrist injury and Vladislav Namestnikov until the same week.
How they compare
| 2025-26 | Winnipeg Jets | Tampa Bay Lightning |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 35-35-12 | 50-26-6 |
| Points | 82 | 106 |
| Goals for per game | 2.82 | 3.54 |
| Goals against per game | 3.17 | 2.82 |
| Power play | 18.5% | 20.7% |
| Penalty kill | 77.6% | 82.6% |
Tampa Bay finished twenty-four points clear of Winnipeg last season and scored almost three quarters of a goal a game more. The penalty kill gap was five points. Winnipeg had the weakest power play of the two by a distance, at 18.5 per cent against 20.7.
Tampa Bay is ninth with five days of rest
The Lightning are 7-3-1 and ninth, with a 7-2-1 record across their last ten. They have not played since losing 5-4 past regulation at Utah on Saturday.
Andrei Vasilevskiy is at .884 across eight starts. That is well below his own standard and the weakest number of the four goaltenders here. Jonas Hildeby is 2-0-1 behind him on a near-identical .885.
Victor Hedman and Brandon Hagel are both day to day with return dates of today. Zemgus Girgensons is not. He has gone the other way and is now out to 31 October with a lower-body injury, so Tampa Bay will not be at full strength after all. Yanni Gourde is the long-term absence, out until early December with a hip problem.
Three of the last five finished on exactly five goals
| Date | Result | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| 5 Mar 2026 | Winnipeg 4-1 | Winnipeg |
| 29 Jan 2026 | Tampa Bay 4-1 | Tampa Bay |
| 14 Nov 2024 | Tampa Bay 4-1 | Tampa Bay |
| 3 Nov 2024 | Winnipeg 7-4 | Winnipeg |
| 2 Jan 2024 | Winnipeg 4-2 | Winnipeg |
Winnipeg leads the all-time series 19 wins to 10 and have taken three of the last five, but both Tampa Bay wins in that run came in Tampa.
Those five produced 5, 5, 5, 11 and 6 goals. Three of them finished on exactly five. The eleven-goal night in November 2024 is the only one that went anywhere near a high total, and it drags the average to 6.4 on its own.
Team news
| Club | Player | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Winnipeg | Josh Morrissey | Out, wrist, on injured reserve to around 3 November |
| Winnipeg | Vladislav Namestnikov | Out, on injured reserve to around 3 November |
| Winnipeg | Nick Bjugstad | Out, pectoral, long-term injured reserve |
| Winnipeg | Garrett Brown | Out, lower body, on injured reserve to 30 October |
| Tampa Bay | Victor Hedman | Day to day, lower body, dated to return today |
| Tampa Bay | Brandon Hagel | Day to day, dated to return today |
| Tampa Bay | Zemgus Girgensons | Out, lower body, to 31 October |
| Tampa Bay | Yanni Gourde | Out, hip, on injured reserve to early December |
Who starts in goal is an open question. Winnipeg Jets has split between Skinner (8 starts, .911) and Stevenson (3, .893), and Tampa Bay Lightning has split between Vasilevskiy (8 starts, .884) and Hildeby (3, .885). A save percentage is a season aggregate rather than a lineup, so treat either name as a possibility and not a plan.
Our NHL injury report tracks every other club.
Players to watch
Stuart Skinner, Winnipeg. A .911 across eight starts, and the reason a club scoring this little is still taking points.
Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay. A .884 that is a long way from where he normally sits, on five days of rest.
Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay. Dated to return today, which would change the shape of their blue line.
Score prediction
Tampa Bay Lightning 4-2 Winnipeg Jets. Tampa Bay is rested, at home, and Winnipeg has scored twenty-seven goals in twelve games.
Lightning vs Jets prediction
Tampa Bay is the side we would take. Five days of rest, home ice, and a 7-2-1 record across their last ten against a Winnipeg side that has lost two.
The case for Winnipeg is the crease and the series. Skinner’s .911 is better than anything Tampa Bay can put behind it, and the Jets lead the all-time record 19-10. Our lean: Tampa Bay, and the under if the total sits at 6 or higher. Three of the last five meetings finished on exactly five goals, and Winnipeg is not scoring enough to push a total on their own.
Our NHL power rankings has all 32 in order, and the rest of Thursday’s games is on the NHL schedule.
Puck drop is 7:00pm ET on Thursday 29 October 2026 at the Benchmark International Arena in Tampa.
They are 4-5-3 and twenty-third, with two straight defeats and twenty-seven goals in twelve games. Five of their nine losses have been by a single goal.
Stuart Skinner has started eight and sits at .911, the best save percentage in this game. Cayden Stevenson is 1-2-0 behind him.
Winnipeg leads the all-time series 19 wins to 10, and have taken three of the last five meetings.
Tampa Bay to win 4-2, and the under if the total sits at 6 or higher.
19+ (18+ in AB, MB and QC). Picks are opinion, not advice, and odds change constantly. Availability varies by province. Please play responsibly. ConnexOntario: 1-866-531-2600 for Ontario residents; see your province’s helpline for resources elsewhere.