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The Florida Panthers look to close out the series as they face the Tampa Bay Lightning. It's time to continue our Stanley Cup Playoffs odds series with a Panthers-Lightning Game 5 prediction and pick.
The Panthers dominated the first two games of the series, winning game one 6-2 and game two 2-0. Still, the Lightning would strike back in game three, winning the game 5-1. In game four, after a scoreless first period, Anton Lundell scored to make it 1-0. Still, Mitchell Chafee and Erik Cernak scored 11 seconds apart to make it 2-1 heading to the third. With less than four minutes to go in the game, Aaron Ekblad and Seth Jones scored 11 seconds apart for the Panthers to give Florida the lead. Carter Verhaeghe would add an empty net goal, and the Panthers would win 4-2.
Here are the Panthers-Lightning Stanley Cup Playoffs odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
Stanley Cup Playoffs Odds: Panthers-Lightning Game 5 Odds
Florida Panthers: +1.5 (-260)
Moneyline: +102
Tampa Bay Lightning: -1.5 (+205)
Moneyline: -122
Over: 5.5 (-114)
Under: 5.5 (-106)
How To Watch Panthers vs. Lightning Stanley Cup Playoffs
Time: 7:30 PM ET/ 4:30 PM PT
TV: ESPN2
*Watch NHL games LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why the Panthers Will Cover the Spread/Win
The top line for the Panthers is led by Sam Reinhart, who led the team in goals and points in the regular season. He finished the regular season with 39 goals and 42 assists, good for 81 total points. Reinhart has a goal and three assists in the series. He is joined on the top line by Aleksander Barkov, who was second on the team in points. He finished the regular season with 20 goals and 51 assists, good for 71 total points. Barkov has four assists in the series. The line is rounded out by Carter Verhaeghe. Verhaeghe was fourth on the team in points, finishing the season with 20 goals and 33 assists. Verhaghe has a goal and an assist in the series.
Meanwhile, the second line is home to Sam Bennett and Matthew Tkachuk. Bennett was fifth on the team in points with 25 goals and 26 assists. Bennett has two goals and two assists in the series. Meanwhile, Tkachuk played just 52 in the regular season, but scored 22 times and had 35 assists, placing him third on the team in points despite missing 30 games. Tkachuk has three goals and an assist in the series. Finally, Anton Lundell will lead the third line. He finished the year with 17 goals and 28 assists. Lundell has a goal and an assist in the series.
It will be Sergei Bobrovsky in goal for the Panthers in this one. He was 33-19-2 on the year with a 2.44 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage. Bobrovsky has a .902 save percentage with a 2.01 goals-against average.
Why the Lightning Will Cover the Spread/Win
The top line for the Lightning is led by Nikita Kucherov. He led the team in assists and points this season, finishing the year with 37 goals and 84 assists, good for 121 total points. Kucherov has four assists in the series. He is joined on the top line by Brayden Point, who, while finishing third on the team in points, led the team in goals. Point had 42 goals and 40 assists this year, good for 79 points. Point has two goals in the series. The line is rounded out by Jake Guentzel. Guentzel finished the year with 41 goals and 39 assists this year. Guentzel has two goals and three assists in the series.
Brandon Hagel leads the second line. Hagel finished the year with 35 goals and 55 assists this year, sitting second on the team in points with 90 total points. Hagel does not have a point in the series and is still considered day-to-day. He is joined on the second line by Anthony Cirelli. Cirelli finished the year with 27 goals and 32 assists. Cirelli has one goal in the series. Finally, Victor Hedman had 15 goals and 51 assists this year, good for 66 points, placing the blue liner fifth on the team in points. Hedman has one assist in the series.
Andrei Vasilevskiy will be in the goal for the Lightning in this one. He was 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 has struggled in the series with a .884 save percentage and a 2.79 goals-against average.
Final Panthers-Lightning Prediction & Pick
The Lightning come in as favorites in terms of odds in this Stanley Cup Playoffs series game one. While Andrei Vasilevkiy has struggled overall, he has had two solid games, but still has just one win to show for it. Meanwhile, Sergei Bobrovsky has been above .900 in save percentage in three of four games. The Lightning are not getting a great volume of shots on goal either, with their most being 22 shots. Unless Tampa Bay can get more pucks on the net, this series will end here.
Final Panthers-Lightning Prediction & Pick: Panthers ML (+102)
