Subscribe
Follow Us
It is game one of an all-Florida series in the Stanley Cup Playoffs as the Florida Panthers face the Tampa Bay Lightning. It's time to continue our Stanley Cup Playoffs odds series with a Panthers-Lightning prediction and pick.
The Florida Panthers finished the regular season at 47-31-4 on the year, which placed them in third place Atlantic Division. The Panthers will begin their quest for a third straight appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals. Still, they lost seven of their last ten games heading into the playoffs, including in the last game of the regular season to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Meanwhile, the Lightning begin their Stanley Cup quest as the two seed out of the Atlantic Division. They went 47-27-8 on the year, finishing four points in front of Florida to obtain home-ice advantage in this series. The Lightning also went 5-5 in their last ten games before the playoffs.
These teams faced four times in the regular season, with the two teams splitting the four games. The most recent game was a 5-1 win for Tampa Bay on April 15th.
Here are the Panthers-Lightning Stanley Cup Playoffs odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
Stanley Cup Playoffs Odds: Panthers-Lightning Game 1 Odds
Florida Panthers: +1.5 (-250)
Moneyline: +105
Tampa Bay Lightning: -1.5 (+198)
Moneyline: -126
Over: 5.5 (-108)
Under: 5.5 (-112)
How To Watch Panthers vs. Lightning Stanley Cup Playoffs
Time: 8:30 PM ET/ 5:30 PM PT
TV: ESPN
*Watch NHL games LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Article Continues Below
Why the Panthers Will Cover the Spread/Win
The top line for the Panthers is led by Sam Reinhart, who leads the team in goals and points this year. He comes into the game with 39 goals and 42 assists, good for 81 total points. Reinhart also has 13 goals and 17 assists on the power play, plus five shorthanded goals. He is joined on the top line by Aleksander Barkov, who is second on the team in points. He comes into the game with 20 goals and 51 assists, good for 71 total points. The line is rounded out by Carter Verhaeghe. Verhaeghe is fourth on the team in points, coming into the game with 20 goals and 33 assists.
Meanwhile, the second line is home to Sam Bennett and Matthew Tkachuk. Bennett is fifth on the team in points this year, coming in with 25 goals and 26 assists on the year. Meanwhile, Tkachuk is expected to return from injury for this game. He played just 52 games this year, but scored 22 times and had 35 assists, placing him third on the team in points despite missing 30 games. Finally, Anton Lundell will lead the third one. He finished the year with 17 goals and 28 assists.
It will be Sergei Bobrovsky in goal for the Panthers in this one. He is 33-19-2 on the year with a 2.44 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage. Bobrovsky was just 2-3-0 in his last five games, but still had a goals-against average of just 2.43 while having a .894 save percentage.
Why the Lightning Will Cover the Spread/Win
The top line for the Lightning is led by Nikita Kucherov. He leads the team in assists and points this year, coming in with 37 goals and 84 assists, good for 121 total points. He is joined on the top line by Brayden Point, who, while sitting third on the team in points, leads the team in goals. Point has 42 goals and 40 assists this year, good for 79 points. The line is rounded out by Yanni Gourde. Gourde has a goal and 13 assists in his 21 games with the Lightning
Brandon Hagel and Jake Guentzel lead the second line. Hagel comes in with 35 goals and 55 assists this year, sitting second on the team in points with 90 total points. Guentzel comes in with 41 goals and 39 assists this year. They are joined on the second line by Anthony Cirelli. Cirelli comes in with 27 goals and 32 assists. Finally, Victor Hedman has 15 goals and 51 assists this year, good for 66 points, placing the blue liner fifth on the team in points.
Andrei Vasilevskiy will be in the goal for the Lightning in this one. He is 38-20-5 on the year with a 2.18 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage. Vasilevskiy was second in the NHL in wins, while sitting fourth in goals-against average and save percentage. He was 2-1-2 in his last five games, allowing two or fewer goals in three of the five games.
Final Panthers-Lightning Prediction & Pick
The Lightning come in as favorites in terms of odds in this Stanley Cup Playoffs series game one. Andrei Vasilevskiy has been great this year. He has faced the Panthers three times and allowed just six goals over the three games. Meanwhile, Sergei Bobrovsky was just as good against the Lightning, allowing just four goals over two games. Still, the Lightning have played much better down the stretch run of the season. They just beat Florida at the end of the regular season and will get another win in this one.
Final Panthers-Lightning Prediction & Pick: Lightning ML (-126)
