{"id":482890,"date":"2026-01-29T11:25:20","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T16:25:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=482890"},"modified":"2026-01-29T11:25:20","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T16:25:20","slug":"nhl-predictions-tampa-bay-lightning-winnipeg-jets-january-29","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2026\/01\/29\/nhl-predictions-tampa-bay-lightning-winnipeg-jets-january-29\/","title":{"rendered":"NHL Predictions: January 29th, Tampa Bay Lightning vs Winnipeg Jets"},"content":{"rendered":"

Each day, our writers here at Last Word On Hockey<\/i> 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\u2019ll look at the Tampa Bay Lightning<\/a> taking on the Winnipeg Jets<\/a><\/span> at Amalie Arena in Tampa. Don\u2019t forget to check out more NHL Predictions, as our writers continue this series throughout the 2025\u201326 season<\/i>.<\/p>\n

NHL Predictions Overview<\/b><\/h2>\n

Time:<\/span><\/strong> 7:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST)<\/p>\n

How to Watch<\/a> TV:<\/span> The Spot, TSN3<\/p>\n

Location: <\/span><\/strong>Benchmark International Arena in<\/span>\u00a0Tampa, FL<\/p>\n

2025\u201326 Season Series:<\/span><\/strong> First meeting of the season<\/p>\n

Overview<\/b><\/h3>\n

The Tampa Bay Lightning (33-14-4)<\/span> host the Winnipeg Jets (21-24-7)<\/span> in what, on paper, looks like a snoozer for the Bolts. Tampa Bay arrives as one of the top offences in the Eastern Conference, with consistent scoring and elite goaltending helping keep them among the league\u2019s best. The Jets, battling for a playoff spot in the Western Conference, have been a mixed bag. \u00a0They are capable of strong stretches but also prone to lapses that have led to some lopsided results.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span>Tampa Bay most recently beat the <\/span>Utah Mammoth 2-0 on Monday night.<\/span>\u00a0Darren Raddysh<\/a> scored on a power play in the second period, and Andrei Vasilevskiy<\/a> made 28 saves for his second shutout of the season. The Jets ended their two-game slide by beating the New Jersey Devils 4-3 on Tuesday night. Mark Scheifele<\/a> scored his 26th goal, and Connor Hellebuyck<\/a> stopped 26 of 29 shots.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Tampa Bay Lightning Outlook<\/b><\/h3>\n

Tampa Bay\u2019s offensive machinery continues to hum. Nikita Kucherov<\/a>\u2019s 80 total points<\/span> and Jake Guentzel<\/a>\u2019s 55 points<\/span> this season underscore how dangerous the top end can be. Brandon Hagel<\/a> (49 points)<\/span> also remains a reliable contributor, and goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy (23-7-3 with a 2.07 GAA and .920 save percentage)<\/span> gives Tampa Bay stability between the pipes.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

What Tampa must solve is consistency through all 60 minutes. Despite being in first place after a run of wins, the 8-5 loss to Columbus highlighted how quickly momentum can shift if defensive structure breaks down. Against a disciplined Jets squad that battles hard and has talented forwards, Tampa can\u2019t afford to give up early opportunities.<\/p>\n

Keys to Victory \u2013 Tampa Bay<\/b><\/h3>\n

NHL Predictions thinks the Lightning need to shake off the first-period rust. <\/span>Tally early goals to set the tempo and avoid a slow start. Play defence from when the puck drops. Their 2.51 goals-against and 84.4 penalty-kill % are still second in the league. <\/span>Winnipeg can score, but Tampa\u2019s depth should neutralize most threats if the neutral zone is controlled. They expect secondary scoring, but there can be lapses there. <\/span>Contributions from depth players like Cirelli will make the offence harder to predict.<\/p>\n

Winnipeg Jets Outlook<\/b><\/h3>\n

The Jets enter this contest riding a decent run of form, with a 6-4 record,\u00a0where they\u2019ve collected points in most of their last 10 outings. <\/span>However, Winnipeg\u2019s overall scoring remains middling. They\u2019re averaging just 2.92 goals-per-game<\/span> and sitting around the middle of the league in both offence and defence. Winnipeg\u2019s balanced attack shows flashes, particularly with the chemistry between Mark Scheifele<\/a> (26 goals, 37 assists) and Kyle Connor <\/a>(23 goals, 37 assists),<\/span> both driving the offence. But the Jets\u2019 scoring depth can dry up, and inconsistent goaltending from Connor Hellebuyck (.902 save percentage this season) means they have to outscore mistakes at times.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span>Winnipeg\u2019s special teams are league average, and in a hostile road environment, they\u2019ll need to stay disciplined and opportunistic rather than get into run-and-gun exchanges with Tampa.<\/p>\n

Keys to Victory \u2013 Winnipeg<\/b><\/h3>\n

The Jets need to slow the game down. <\/span>\u00a0Trap Tampa in low-event hockey and compete physically. Cash on scoring opportunities. The <\/span>Jets can\u2019t afford to be 0-for-their-chances, especially on the power play, where they are 19th in the league at 19.6%. Keep Hellebuyck sharp, since<\/span> a strong goaltending performance is essential to have any chance at stealing this one.<\/p>\n

NHL Predictions: Who Takes the W?<\/b><\/h3>\n

NHL Predictions thinks the game has the makings of a high-tempo, entertaining duel. Tampa Bay\u2019s talent and recent stretch give them a clear edge, but the Jets have shown enough bite to make it competitive.<\/p>\n

Prediction:<\/b><\/span> Lightning 5, Jets 2<\/p>\n

Prop Bets of the Night<\/b><\/h3>\n

Always check the latest lineup news and odds before wagering.<\/p>\n

Lightning Team Prop \u2013 Over 3.5 Goals (-120):<\/span> Tampa\u2019s offence should produce multiple scoring chances.<\/p>\n

Jets Anytime Scorer \u2013 Mark Scheifele (+150):<\/span> He\u2019s Winnipeg\u2019s most consistent offensive threat.<\/p>\n

Final Thoughts<\/b><\/h3>\n

\u00a0NHL Predictions thinks this matchup blends star power and mid-season desperation: Tampa Bay looks to be the bully, while Winnipeg aims to prove it belongs in the playoff race with a David versus Goliath moment.<\/p>\n

Main Photo: James Carey Lauder-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Please play responsibly, check local age restrictions. Have a gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER<\/span>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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\u2019ll look at the Tampa Bay Lightning taking on the Winnipeg Jets at Amalie […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5453,"featured_media":455099,"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":[9,4547,4548,4524,33],"tags":[6391,6110],"class_list":["post-482890","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lightning","category-hockey","category-nhl","category-nhl-predictions","category-jets","tag-tampa-bay-lightning-predictions","tag-winnipeg-jets-predictions"],"modified_by":"Levi Pike, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/482890","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=482890"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/482890\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":482922,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/482890\/revisions\/482922"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/455099"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=482890"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=482890"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=482890"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}