It’s an Atlantic Division tilt and a likely first-round playoff matchup on the ice as a pair of teams from the Sunshine State collide when the Florida Panthers take on the Tampa Bay Lightning Tuesday night and we have the inside scoop with our Panthers vs. Lightning prediction. Florida fell 5-3 at home to the Rangers in their previous contest Monday night. Tampa Bay downed Buffalo 7-4 at home in their previous game Sunday night. In the last 10 meetings between the teams, the Panthers own a 7-3 advantage, including a 2-1 home win in the most recent matchup on March 3. Read more about this Panthers vs. Lightning prediction! Do you need a boost in your handicapping? Try our NHL Predictions and light the lamp!
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Florida Trying to Steal Home Ice in First Round
Florida saw their three-game win streak snapped as they were beaten at home by the Rangers Monday night. The Panthers fell to 47-30-4 on the season entering Monday night and were third in the Atlantic Division, six points behind Toronto for the top spot. Florida is 13th in the league in goals per game as they put up an average of 3.03 goals a night this season. The Panthers are 7th in the league in goals against as they allow an average of 2.66 goals per contest. Florida is 12th in power play success as they have cashed in on 23.7% of their chances with the man advantage this season. The Panthers are 10th in the league in penalty-killing as they successfully navigate 80.6% of their shorthanded situations on the year.
Against New York, Florida let a lead slip away and ended up with a loss as their defensive zone play wilted in the second half of the contest. The Panthers owned a 10-8 advantage in shots in the opening period and skated off with the game tied at one at the first intermission. Sam Reinhart opened the scoring with his 38th goal of the year, on the power play, at 2:22 with assists going to Sam Bennett and Evan Rodrigues. They gave up the equalizer later in the period. In the second period, Florida held a 10-7 advantage in shots with both teams scoring twice, leaving the game tied at three after 40 minutes. Carter Verhaeghe gave the Panthers a 2-1 lead with his 20th goal of the year at 4:32 off assists from Gustav Forsling and Aleksander Barkov. Reinhart scored his second of the night and 39th of the year at 13:54 off assists from Barkov and Seth Jones for a 3-1 lead. They gave up a pair of goals in the final five minutes to tie the game at the second intermission. The third period saw the shots even at 10 but Florida was outscored 2-0 to take the loss. Sergei Bobrovsky made 20 saves for the Panthers, who owned a 30-25 advantage in shots, in the loss. Vitek Vanecek likely gets the start in net here.
Lightning Hoping to Keep Atlantic Division Crown Hopes Alive
Tampa Bay won for just the second time in six games as they beat Buffalo at home Sunday night. The Lightning entered Monday 46-26-8 on the season and stood second in the Atlantic Division, four points behind Toronto for the top spot. Tampa Bay went into Monday 1st in the league in goals per game as they put up an average of 3.59 goals per contest. The Lightning stands tied for 4th in goals against by allowing 2.64 goals per game. Tampa Bay is 5th with the man advantage as they cash in on 26.3% of their chances with the man advantage this season. The Lightning are 9th in penalty killing as they successfully work through 81.1% of their shorthanded situations on the year.
Against Buffalo, Tampa Bay’s offense was on full display and they skated away with a win on home ice. The Lightning were outshot 11-5 in the opening period and trailed 2-1 on the scoreboard at the first intermission. Jake Guentzel opened the scoring with his 39th goal of the season at 16:35 off assists from Brandon Hagel and Anthony Cirelli. Tampa Bay gave up a pair of goals in the final 30 seconds of the period to trail after one. In the second period, Tampa Bay owned a 15-7 shot edge and a 4-0 margin on the scoreboard for a 5-2 lead after 40 minutes. Ryan McDonagh knotted the game with his fourth goal of the season at 3:02 with Hagel and Cirelli drawing the helpers. Nikita Kucherov gave the Lightning a 3-2 lead with his 35th of the year at 6:34 off assists from Victor Hedman and Yanni Gourde. Conor Geekie made it a 4-2 game with his seventh of the season at 14:21 with Gage Goncalves and Nick Paul earning helpers. Emil Lilleberg gave Tampa a 5-2 lead with his first of the year at 16:45 off assists from Mitchell Chaffee and Goncalves. Tampa Bay held an 11-7 edge in shots in the final period with both teams scoring twice, leaving the Lightning up at the final horn. Kucherov netted his second of the game and 36th of the season at 2:39, unassisted, for a 6-2 advantage. After Buffalo got one back, Guentzel scored his second of the night and 40th of the year, on the power play, at 13:12 with assists going to Kucherov and Hagel. Buffalo tallied one more time but it was too little, too late. Jonas Johansson made 21 saves for the Lightning, who held a 31-25 edge in shots, in the win. Andrei Vasilevskiy is expected between the pipes for Tampa Bay here.
Best Bets for Florida Panthers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
Full-Game Side Bet
Insiders Status:
Florida closes the second game of a back-to-back and plays their third game in four nights here. The Panthers are likely stuck as the road team in the opening round of the playoffs so you have to wonder if they rest some players here in their regular season finale. Tampa Bay needs two wins and Toronto to lose twice in regulation to even tie for the top spot in the Atlantic so you know they’ll be going all out in their home finale here. The Lightning has stumbled down the stretch but look for them to find a way to prevail here as they get a victory over their likely first-round foe.
Full-Game Total Pick
Insiders Status:
Florida has stayed under the number in eight of their last 10 games, averaging only 2.2 goals per game in that stretch. The Panthers have scored two goals or less six times in that span. Florida averages only 2.98 goals per game on the road this season. Tampa Bay has averaged 4.4 goals per game in their last 10 games while allowing an average of 2.3 goals per contest in that stretch but they have given up four goals in each of their last three games. The Lightning averages a hefty 3.88 goals per game at home while allowing 2.21 per contest. With Florida struggling to light the lamp, take the under in this contest.
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