Carolina Hurricanes vs Tampa Bay Lightning Prediction 12/20/2025 Today’s NHL Picks

The Carolina Hurricanes and the Tampa Bay Lightning meet Saturday in NHL action from the Benchmark International Arena. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Carolina Hurricanes vs. Tampa Bay Lightning prediction.

Carolina Hurricanes Recap

The Carolina Hurricanes come into this game looking to shake off a 4-3 shootout loss at the hands of the Florida Panthers last time out to sit at 22-9-3 this season. After this game, Carolina will head home for the rematch against Florida before hosting the Detroit Red Wings after the Christmas Break.

Hurricanes Have Five-Game Win Streak Snapped

Going into the game against Florida, Sebastian Aho leads the Hurricanes in scoring with 29 points including 11 goals and 18 assists while Seth Jarvis has 27 points with a team-high 19 goals. Jackson Blake’s added 21 points with 9 goals and 12 assists while Logan Stankoven has 15 points with 6 goals and 9 assists and Nikolaj Ehlers has 23 points with 8 goals and 15 assists of his own this season. Taylor Hall has also chipped in 17 points with 7 goals and 10 assists. Shayne Gostisbehere has 24 points with 21 assists and Andrei Svechnikov has 20 points with 7 goals and 13 assists. In goal for Carolina, Frederik Andersen has gone 5-7-2 with a 3.15 GAA and an .875 save percentage while Brandon Bussi is 11-1 with a 2.05 GAA and a .911 save percentage this season. Pyotr Kochetkov is also 6-1 with a 1.95 GAA and a .913 save percentage as well this season.

Tampa Bay Lightning Recap

The Tampa Bay Lightning come into this game looking to bounce back from a 2-1 loss at the hands of the Los Angeles Kings last time out to sit at 18-13-3 this season. After this game, Tampa Bay will take on the St. Louis Blues at home.

Lightning Lose 3 In A Row

Nikita Kucherov leads the Lightning in scoring with 42 points including 13 goals and 29 assists while Brandon Hagel has 31 points with 18 goals and 13 assists and Jake Guentzel has 34 points with 15 goals and 19 assists. Anthony Cirelli has 19 points with 9 goals and 10 assists. Darren Raddysh has also added 24 points with 7 goals and 17 assists as well on the year. Andrei Vasilevskiy has gone 11-7-2 with a 2.30 GAA and a .917 save percentage while Jonas Johansson is 7-6-1 with a 2.76 GAA and an .897 save percentage this season.

Carolina Hurricanes @ Tampa Bay Lightning Betting Trends: December 20, 2025

Why the Tampa Bay Lightning will win

• The Hurricanes have lost each of their last eight games as underdogs against opponents on a losing streak.
• The Lightning have won six of their last seven home games against the Hurricanes following a home loss.
• The Hurricanes have failed to cover the puck line in each of their last seven games on the second leg of a back-to-back.
• The Lightning have covered the puck line in six of their last eight night games against the Hurricanes following a loss.
• The Hurricanes have lost the second period in nine of their last 10 games as underdogs after coming off a shootout.

Why the Carolina Hurricanes will win

• The Hurricanes have won each of their last seven games following a shootout loss.
• The Lightning have lost each of their last four games as home favorites.
• The Hurricanes have covered the puck line in seven of their last eight games on the second leg of a back-to-back against the Lightning.
• The Lightning have failed to cover the puck line in 11 of their last 12 home games following a loss.
• The Hurricanes have won the first period in each of their last five games as underdogs following a shootout loss.

Total Goals Facts

• Nine of the Lightning’s last 10 home games against the Hurricanes following a loss have gone UNDER the total goals line.
• Each of the Hurricanes’ last four road games on the second leg of a back-to-back have gone OVER the total goals line.
• The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 2′ market has hit in each of the Hurricanes’ last nine games as underdogs against opponents on a losing streak.
• The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 1’ market has hit in each of the Lightning’s last four games against Eastern Conference opponents.

Tampa Bay Lightning Player Prop Facts

• Brayden Point has scored a goal in six of the Lightning’s last eight games as favorites against the Hurricanes.
• Nikita Kucherov has recorded at least one assist in 12 of his last 13 home appearances against the Hurricanes.
• Oliver Bjorkstrand has recorded 14 career assists against the Hurricanes – most against any opponent (including playoffs).

Carolina Hurricanes Player Prop Facts

• Sebastian Aho has scored at least one goal in each of the Hurricanes’ last four games as underdogs.
• Sebastian Aho has recorded at least one assist in five of the Hurricanes’ last six games as road underdogs against the Lightning.
• Eric Robinson has scored five career goals against the Lightning – equal-most against any opponent (including playoffs).

Matchup/League Facts

• The Tampa Bay Lightning rank 2nd in the league in penalty kill percentage this season (85.19%).
• The Tampa Bay Lightning rank 6th in the league for goals against per game this season (2.62).
• The Carolina Hurricanes are one of four teams to rank in the top 10 for both goals scored and goals conceded per game this season.
• The Carolina Hurricanes rank 5th in the league for goals per game this season (3.26).

Carolina Hurricanes vs. Tampa Bay Lightning Prediction

I’m on Tampa Bay here. Seth Jarvis got really banged up in that Florida game and his absence is really going to be felt in a big way in this game as far as I’m concerned. The Lightning are a better team than their recent results and I think the return of Andrei Vasilevskiy to Tampa Bay’s crease can’t be understated. I think Tampa Bay picks up a solid win at home so give me the Bolts in this one.

Chris Ruffolo's Pick: Tampa Bay -115