Florida Panthers vs Tampa Bay Lightning Preview
Betting on today’s Lightning and Panthers game? Catch the action at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, FL, as the Panthers hosts this showdown at 7:00 ET on ESPN.
The over/under for this game is set at 6.5 goals, and the Panthers are favored by -1.5 against the Lightning in a Atlantic division matchup. Check out BetCoco for Florida Panthers – Tampa Bay Lightning odds
Florida Panthers vs Tampa Bay Lightning Head-to-Head and Key Stats
The last five times that the Panthers have hosted the Lightning, they have an above .500 record at 4-1. Looking back over the previous three times that the Lightning and Panthers have faced off, they have combined to average 6 goals per game and have an over/under record of 2-1.
- Across their last three road contests, Tampa Bay has a 2-1 record vs the spread. Their overall mark in these games was 0-3, while averaging 2 goals per game.
- When looking at their past three home matchups, Florida has an puck line record of 1-2 while averaging 3 per game. The team went 3-0 overall in these games.
- Spanning across their last five games as the betting underdog, the Panthers have gone 4-1 vs the spread. Their overall record in these games was 2-3.
- As the betting favorite, the Lightning have an puck line mark of just 1-4 in their last five games. Tampa Bay posted a straight up mark of 1-4 in these matchups.
Florida Panthers vs Tampa Bay Lightning Prediction
On the season, the Lightning have gone 45-29-8, putting them in 4th place in the Atlantic Division and 6th in the Eastern Conference. In games against other teams from the East, Tampa Bay has gone 26-24 this season. Over their last ten games, they have gone just 3-7 and have lost two straight on the road.
When playing on the road this season, the Lightning have gone 20-18-3. As the underdog, Tampa Bay has gone 14-12-5 this season and 2-3 over their last five games. For the year, the Lightning have been the favorite in 51 of their 82 games, going 31-17-3 in those contests.
The Lightning come into the game scoring an average of 3.5 goals per game, putting them 5th in the NHL. Regarding shots targeted at the goal per game, they are 22nd in the league. This season, the Lightning are 25-14 when getting more shots on goal than their opponents. And in games with fewer shots on goal, they have a 19-12 record.
Entering the game, goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy has started 52 games this season. His current record stands at 30-20, and his save percentage is 0.879%.
At home this season, the Panthers have been dominant, going 26-13-2 and winning five straight games in front of their home fans. In the Atlantic Division, Florida is in first place and has gone 17-9 against division opponents. Overall, the Panthers have gone 52-24-6 and have won four straight games.
Against teams from the Eastern Conference, Florida has gone 33-17 and has won five straight games when favored. In their last 10 games, the Panthers have gone 8-2 and have won five straight games when favored.
On offense, the Panthers are averaging 3.2 goals per game which is 11th in the NHL. In terms of shots on goal per game, they are 2nd in the league. The Florida offense is ranked 6th in power play goals. As for shorthanded goals, they find themselves at 10th in the NHL.
Heading into this matchup vs. Tampa Bay, goalie Sergei Bobrovsky has started 58 games in this season. His current record is 36-17, and his save percentage stands at 0.948%.
Even though they are 1.5 goal underdogs, we see the Lightning winning this game by a score of 4-3.
Florida Panthers vs Tampa Bay Lightning Betting Tips
- We like the Lightning on the moneyline (+149)
- The Lightning are also our pick on the spread at +1.5
- Our NHL model projects 7 goals, and we suggest taking the under
Florida Panthers Injury Report
- Sam Bennett – Undisclosed – Out
- Ryan Lomberg – Illness – Questionable
Tampa Bay Lightning Injury Report
- Brent Seabrook – Shoulder/Back/Hip – Out
- Jonas Johansson – Lower Body – Questionable
- Logan Brown – Undisclosed – Out
- Darren Raddysh – Undisclosed – Questionable
