The St. Louis Blues will travel to Florida on Monday night to face the Tampa Bay Lightning in a matchup that will send both teams into the holiday break. After a big 6-2 victory over the Florida Panthers on Saturday, the Blues will look to carry that momentum into Benchmark International Arena in Tampa. Tampa Bay is also coming off a win where they scored six goals and will try to build on that themselves. Before the opening face-off in Tampa, you will find my Blues vs Lightning prediction right here.
Our Blues vs Lightning Pick
Game Snapshot
- Matchup: St. Louis Blues vs Tampa Bay Lightning
- Date & Time: Monday, December 22, 2025, 7:00 PM
- Venue: Benchmark International Arena, Tampa, FL
- Broadcast: ESPN+
Key Storylines
Recent form
The Blues enter this game off a statement win over Florida in which St. Louis scored early and often, with contributions across the lineup and strong work from goalie Joel Hofer. Prior to that, St. Louis had scored two goals in the previous two games against the Rangers and Jets. They have a 14-15-8 record overall this season and the question for St. Louis will be which version of their attack shows up in this game.
Tampa Bay’s recent results have also featured their share of ups and downs. The Bolts put up six goals in a home win over Carolina on December 20, but they had lost three games in a row before that. Inconsistency on offense has been a common theme for both of these teams and something that they will have to overcome here.
Goaltending
For the Blues, Joel Hofer’s recent performances have been noteworthy, including a shutout against the Jets. He has better numbers this season than starting netminder Jordan Binnington, making the goaltending situation very interesting for the Blues.
Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy was recently activated from injured reserve and remains one of the league’s top netminders when healthy. His presence alone gives the Lightning a higher floor, though Jonas Johansson has been reliable when called upon as well.
Key skaters
Robert Thomas continues to be the offensive engine for St. Louis, leading the Blues in goals and assists. Jake Neighbours leads the Blues with 10 goals this season despite missing some time due to injury. For Tampa Bay, Nikita Kucherov remains a premier playmaker, leading his club in points with 43. Brandon Hagel and Jake Guentzel are also players that the Blues’ defense will have to watch out for.
Best Player Props
| Player | Prop |
|---|---|
| Nikita Kucherov (TB) | |
| Robert Thomas (STL) | |
| Jake Guentzel (TB) |
Betting Trends & H2H
- This is the first matchup between the Lightning and Blues so far this season.
- The Blues are 19-18 on the puckline going into Monday night.
- Tampa Bay is 15-20 on the puckline so far this season.

