The Tampa Bay Lightning (11-4-2) visit the Buffalo Sabres (8-6-3) on Wednesday night at KeyBank Center, with puck drop set for 7:00 PM ET. It is the first meeting of the season between two Atlantic Division clubs, and Andrei Vasilevskiy and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen are the projected goalies. If you have never built a same-game parlay before, this is a clean game to learn on.

A same-game parlay, or SGP, simply combines several bets from one game into a single ticket, and every leg has to hit to cash. Today’s four-leg build is the Lightning on the moneyline, Jake Guentzel to record a point, Nikita Kucherov over 3.5 shots on goal, and Tage Thompson over 3.5 shots on goal. Check your book for the combined price, since SGP odds are set by each sportsbook.

Leg 1: Lightning Moneyline (-125)

The moneyline is the easiest bet in hockey to understand: pick the team that wins, no matter the score. Tampa Bay is the road favorite at -125, which implies the books give them roughly a 55 percent chance, so this is a modest lean rather than a heavy chalk play.

The Lightning have earned that tag. They are 6-2-2 in their last ten games, averaging 4.2 goals per game over that stretch, while the Sabres are 5-3-2 and scoring 3.1. Tampa Bay lost 4-3 to Winnipeg in its last outing, but Pontus Holmberg scored twice in that game, and the offense kept producing. Buffalo is also dealing with injuries, with Matt Grzelcyk, Konsta Helenius, Justin Danforth and Alex Lyon all out.

Leg 2: Jake Guentzel to Record a Point

A player point prop pays off on a goal or an assist, which makes it far more forgiving than a goal-scorer bet. Guentzel has 10 goals and 8 assists for 18 points in 17 games, so he has been involved in the scoring at better than a point per game. Books have this at about -170 at DraftKings, a steep price that signals how likely the market thinks it is.

Guentzel skates alongside Kucherov on one of Tampa Bay’s top groups, and he has six power-play points among his 18. That unit is where a lot of Tampa’s offense runs through, which gives him several ways to land on the scoresheet. If the Lightning win, there is a strong chance Guentzel was part of it, so this leg pairs naturally with the moneyline. You can compare prices on the live NHL odds page before you lock anything in.

Leg 3: Nikita Kucherov Over 3.5 Shots on Goal (+125)

A shots on goal prop is one of the best places for new bettors to start, because you do not need the puck to go in. Every shot that reaches the goalie counts, whether it is saved or scored. Kucherov is averaging 3.0 shots per game this season with 51 in 17 games, and he logged 13 shots over his last three games, which is 4.3 per night.

The line sits at 3.5, so he needs four shots to cash, and the plus-money price of +125 reflects that. He plays more than 21 minutes a night, including about five on the power play, so the volume is there. Buffalo has given up 3.1 goals per game over its last ten, which is not a defense that has been shutting teams down.

Leg 4: Tage Thompson Over 3.5 Shots on Goal (+102)

Buffalo’s top center is the best shooter in this game. Thompson has 70 shots in 17 games, which works out to 4.1 per game, comfortably above the 3.5 line. He also has 10 goals and 19 points, and he plays on the first power-play unit, where he gets about three and a half minutes of man-advantage time per night.

This leg also protects the parlay in a useful way. If Buffalo plays from ahead or Tampa pushes late, Thompson is the Sabres’ go-to shooter either way, so his volume does not depend on the Lightning winning. The price of +102 is close to even money, so it is a fair number for a player already clearing the line on average.

The Full Parlay

Put it together and the ticket reads Lightning moneyline (-125), Guentzel to record a point, Kucherov over 3.5 shots on goal (+125) and Thompson over 3.5 shots on goal (+102). Four legs is a lot for a beginner, so treat it as a small-stake play and drop the weakest leg if you want a safer ticket. The total sits at 6.5 goals with the over at -115, which is another way into this game if you want a different angle.

The logic is simple: Tampa Bay has the better record and form, Guentzel is in a groove, and both Kucherov and Thompson shoot at a rate that makes 3.5 reachable. Remember that parlays are a high-variance bet, so only risk what you are comfortable losing. If you are still learning the ropes, our betting calculator shows how odds translate into payouts, and all lines are subject to change before puck drop.