Lightning vs. Penguins Prediction & Picks - April 2

The Tampa Bay Lightning (46-22-6) and Pittsburgh Penguins (38-21-16) square off at Benchmark International Arena on Thursday, April 2 at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+. The Lightning fell to the Montreal Canadiens 4-1 in their last game, while the Penguins are coming off a 5-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings.

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Prepare for this matchup by checking out our pick for who will come out on top in Thursday's hockey action.

In the past 10 games, the Penguins have gone 6-3-1. They have put up 42 goals, while allowing their opponents to score 35. They have gone on the power play 31 times during that span, and have capitalized with six goals (19.4% of opportunities).

Lightning vs. Penguins Predictions for Thursday

Our computer model for this encounter expects a final score of Lightning 4, Penguins 2.

• Moneyline Pick: Lightning (-170)
• Total Pick: Under 6.5 (computer predicts 6.1 goals on average)
• Spread Pick: Pick Em

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Lightning Splits and Trends

• The Lightning are 46-22-6 overall and 9-6-15 in overtime contests.
• Tampa Bay has 22 points (9-9-4) in the 22 games it has played that were decided by one goal.
• The eight times this season the Lightning finished a game with only one goal, they went 2-5-1 (five points).
• Tampa Bay has taken 11 points from the 15 games this season when it scored a pair of goals (4-8-3 record).
• The Lightning are 40-7-2 in the 49 games when they have scored at least three goals (to record 82 points).
• In the 26 games when Tampa Bay has scored a single power-play goal, it has a 16-7-3 record (35 points).
• In the 41 games when it outshot its opponent, Tampa Bay is 24-12-5 (53 points).
• The Lightning have been outshot by opponents 31 times, and went 20-10-1 (41 points).

Penguins Splits and Trends

• The Penguins have a record of 38-21-16 this season and are 7-16-23 in overtime contests.
• In the 22 games Pittsburgh has played that were decided by one goal, it racked up 24 points.
• In eight games this season when the Penguins finished a game with only one goal, they earned a total of three points (0-5-3).
• When Pittsburgh has scored exactly two goals this season, they've earned four points (0-7-4 record).
• The Penguins have earned 85 points in their 52 games with more than two goals scored.
• Pittsburgh has scored a lone power-play goal in 27 games this season and has recorded 33 points from those matchups.
• When outshooting its opponent this season, Pittsburgh is 19-14-9 (47 points).
• The Penguins have been outshot by opponents 28 times this season, and earned 35 points in those games.

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Team Stats Comparison

Lightning vs. Penguins Game Time and TV Channel

• When: Thursday, April 2, 2026 at 7 p.m. ET
• TV Channel: ESPN+
• Live Stream: Watch this game on ESPN+
• Where: Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, Florida

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