{"id":476199,"date":"2025-10-17T12:09:19","date_gmt":"2025-10-17T16:09:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=476199"},"modified":"2025-10-23T09:11:41","modified_gmt":"2025-10-23T13:11:41","slug":"nhl-predictions-tampa-bay-lightning-chicago-blackhawks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2025\/10\/17\/nhl-predictions-tampa-bay-lightning-chicago-blackhawks\/","title":{"rendered":"NHL Predictions: October 23rd Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Chicago Blackhawks"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Welcome back to another NHL Predictions. Each day, our writers here at Last Word on Hockey look at the games and give in-depth analysis. Our team breaks down the key matchups, storylines, and stats, then makes predictions based on how they might play out. For this edition, we will look at the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2025\/10\/13\/nhl-predictions-tampa-bay-lightning-boston-bruins\/\" target=\"_self\">Tampa Bay Lightning<\/a> taking on the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2025\/10\/19\/nhl-prediction-october-19th-anaheim-ducks-vs-chicago-blackhawks\/\" target=\"_self\">Chicago Blackhawks<\/a>. Don\u2019t forget to check out more NHL Predictions, as our writers continue this series throughout the 2025-26 season.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>Time:<\/b><\/span> 6:45 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/full-guide-for-how-to-stream-and-watch-nhl-hockey-games\/\" target=\"_self\">How to Watch<\/a> TV:<\/b><\/span> ESPN+<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>Location: <\/b>Benchmark International Arena<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>2024\u201325 Season Series:<\/b><\/span> Lightning 1 \u2013 Blackhawks 1<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">The Bolts are coming off another stinging loss, this time a 3\u20132 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. They were outshot (31-24), out hit (23\u201314), and racked up more penalty minutes than power play time. Not exactly the kind of stats you hang on the fridge. <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2024\/05\/22\/biggest-winners-of-the-tampa-bay-lightning-trading-for-ryan-mcdonagh\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Ryan McDonagh<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/c\/cirelan01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-10-21_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Anthony Cirelli<\/a> both hit the scoresheet, but it wasn\u2019t enough. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/search\/search.fcgi?pid=johanjo03,johanjo02&amp;search=Jonas+Johansson&amp;utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-10-21_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jonas Johansson<\/a> manned the crease with 28 saves, looking like a stunt double still shaking off some first action scene cobwebs.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">The good news? Tampa doesn\u2019t usually lose four in a row without making some noise. They\u2019ve still got one of the league\u2019s most potent offensive cores, and when the lines click, you don\u2019t need to blink to miss a two-goal swing. The bad news? A two-game losing streak to start the season and now a three-game losing streak following their only win does not inspire confidence.<\/p>\n<h3><b>NHL Predictions Key to Victory \u2013 Tampa Bay<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>Keep it clean and simple:<\/b><\/span> Tampa\u2019s zone exits looked frantic last game. They need to slow the game down, control the neutral zone, and stop giving teams like the Blue Jackets and now the Blackhawks 2-on-1 opportunities off broken plays.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>Feed the top line:<\/b><\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/k\/kucheni01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-10-21_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Nikita Kucherov<\/a> hasn\u2019t scored since his opening night pair, which still resulted in a loss. He\u2019s due. Feed him. Build him a sandwich if you have to do it.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>Hedman must wake up:<\/b><\/span> Zero goals through six games? No, no, no. Big Swede needs to play like a man who\u2019s seen too many Norris snubs. Own the blueline, especially on the PP.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>Watch out for Bedard:<\/b><\/span> Don\u2019t let the kid get space. Chicago lives and dies by his ability to create chaos.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Chicago Blackhawks Outlook<\/b><\/h3>\n<p class=\"p1\">Chicago enters this one somewhere between \u201crebuilding\u201d and \u201cresurfacing.\u201d They sit at 3-2-2 with a bunch of their losses coming by a point in each. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/b\/bedarco01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-10-21_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Connor Bedard<\/a> has already flashed signs of superstardom. He is stickhandling in a phone booth, vision like a veteran, and a shot that can surprise even the best tendies. But the Hawks are still thin when it comes to depth. Veterans like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/d\/donatry01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-10-21_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ryan Donato<\/a> (three goals, two assists) have helped stabilize the middle six, but team defence remains a work-in-progress. Their last outing, a 2-1 win over the Ducks showed moments of brilliance\u2026 followed by defensive lapses that make coaches grab the Pepto.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Goaltender <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/s\/soderar01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-10-21_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Arvid S\u00f6derblom<\/a> is projected to start, and while talented, he\u2019ll need to be on his game to hold back Tampa\u2019s firepower. He has given up seven goals in his two games.<\/p>\n<h3><b>NHL Predictions to Victory \u2013 Chicago<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>Disrupt Tampa\u2019s timing:<\/b><\/span> The Lightning aren\u2019t a \u201cgrind it out\u201d team. If Chicago can clog the neutral zone and pressure their defence early, they might force turnovers and fast breaks.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>Let Bedard cook:<\/b><\/span> His two goals are fine, but the five assists show he can guide the team even when he doesn&#8217;t light the lamp. Give him zone entries, power play touches, and every bit of puck you\u2019ve got. He\u2019s your spark plug.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>Win the special teams battle:<\/b><\/span> Against Tampa, this is often the only way to stay even. Their power play can dismantle weaker PK units in minutes.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>\u00a0Prediction: Who Takes the W?<\/b><\/h3>\n<p class=\"p1\">Tampa\u2019s firepower is just too much for a young Hawks squad still finding its rhythm. Even with Bedard playing well, the Blackhawks will struggle to contain Kucherov, Point, and the Bolts\u2019 relentless pace. But the Bolts are struggling, so instead of predicting a three goal victory, we will squeeze this one out.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>Prediction:<\/b><\/span> Lightning 3, Blackhawks 2<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Expect Tampa to score early, coast a little, and then pile on late when the top line gets mismatches. If Vasilevskiy is back in net, he will need to look more dialed in, and Kucherov should finally snap his scoring drought. Or he will need to invest heavily in Gatorade stock.<\/p>\n<h3><b>Prop Bets of the Night<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p class=\"p1\"><b>Over 6.5 Total Goals (-115)<\/b><b><\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">The Blackhawks give up chances, and Tampa knows how to finish. Expect some fireworks.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"p1\"><b>Kucherov Over 1.5 Points (+125)<\/b><b><\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">He\u2019s due. He\u2019s fuming. He\u2019s about to remind everyone why he\u2019s still elite.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Final Thoughts<\/b><\/h3>\n<p class=\"p1\">This one\u2019s got all the ingredients for a highlight reel night, elite snipers, a generational talent, and two teams with something to prove. The Lightning want to re-establish dominance after their horrid start. The Blackhawks want to prove they\u2019re not just a one-line show.<\/p>\n<p>Main Photo Jamie Sabau &#8211; Imagn Images<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><em>Please play responsibly, check for your local rules and age restrictions; some jurisdictions require ages 21+. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Welcome back to another NHL Predictions. Each day, our writers here at Last Word on Hockey look at the games and give in-depth analysis. Our team breaks down the key matchups, storylines, and stats, then makes predictions based on how they might play out. For this edition, we will look at the Tampa Bay Lightning [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5453,"featured_media":476507,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9,27,4547,4548,4524],"tags":[6233,4756,583,6391],"class_list":["post-476199","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lightning","category-blackhawks","category-hockey","category-nhl","category-nhl-predictions","tag-chicago-blackhawks-predictions","tag-connor-bedard","tag-nikita-kucherov","tag-tampa-bay-lightning-predictions"],"modified_by":"Levi Pike, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/476199","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5453"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=476199"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/476199\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":476509,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/476199\/revisions\/476509"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/476507"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=476199"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=476199"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=476199"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}