The Tampa Bay Lightning meet the Florida Panthers Sunday afternoon in Sunrise in Game 1 of their 1st-round Sunshine State series. Puck drop is scheduled for 12:40 p.m. ET (ESPN). Below, we analyze FanDuel Sportsbook’s lines around the Lightning vs. Panthers odds, and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
The Lightning and Panthers meet once again in the NHL playoffs, and Florida is hoping for a much better result this time. Tampa Bay swept Florida in the 2nd round of the 2022 playoffs on their way to winning a 2nd straight Stanley Cup. The Panthers have been victorious in 4 of their last 5 regular-season matchups, averaging over 5 goals per Game during that stretch.
Tampa Bay wrapped up its regular season with a 6-4 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs, snapping a 3-Game losing streak. RW Nikita Kucherov scored a goal and recorded an assist as he finished the regular season with a league-leading 144 points, earning him his 2nd Art Ross Trophy.
Florida also capped off the regular season with a 5-2 home win over Toronto to extend its winning streak to 4 Games. C Sam Reinhart finished 2nd in the NHL in goals scored (57) and led the league in power-play goals with 27.
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Lightning at Panthers odds
Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Saturday at 11:53 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Lightning +138 (bet $100 to win $138) | Panthers -166 (bet $166 to win $100)
- Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Lightning +1.5 (-192) | Panthers -1.5 (+158)
- Over/Under (O/U): 5.5 (O: -128 | U: +104)
Lightning at Panthers projected goalies
Andrei Vasilevskiy (30-20-2, 2.90 GAA, .900 SV%, 2 SO) vs. Sergei Bobrovsky (36-17-4, 2.37 GAA, .915 SV%, 6 SO)
The Big Cat enters the postseason having lost 3 of his last 4 starts, surrendering at least 4 goals in each defeat. Will the 5-time All-Star, who leads all playoff goaltenders with 65 career postseason wins, recapture his stellar form? Vasilevskiy has found success vs. Florida in his career, going 24-15-1 in regular-season and postseason games.
Bobrovsky, on the contrary, wrapped up the regular season with 3 victories in his final 4 starts. The 2-time Vezina Trophy winner had the lowest GAA amongst goaltenders who played in at least 50 games this season and sports a 18-18-3 record against Tampa Bay in his career.
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Lightning at Panthers picks and predictions
Prediction
Lightning 3, Panthers 2
Moneyline
BET LIGHTNING (+138).
Florida is the deeper team, but if we’re taking a look at the top 5 scorers on each team, Tampa is superior. Kucherov, C Brayden Point, C Steven Stamkos, D Victor Hedman and LW Brandon Hagel are all healthy and capable of leading this Bolts to a Game 1 upset. Plus, no team in the Eastern Conference accumulated more penalty minutes than Florida, so expect Tampa’s league-leading power play to take advantage.
Puck line/Against the spread
PASS.
Too much juice to lay to get the puck and a half insurance. Just back the Bolts and take the plus money.
Over/Under
BET UNDER 5.5 (+104).
No team delivered more hits during the regular season (2,120) than Florida, so I expect a lot of checks and scrums as these teams feel each other out in Game 1. Plus, I’m anticipating that Vasilevskiy should be much better this postseason after he dealt with injuries down the stretch in 2023.
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