Tampa Bay Lightning vs Florida Panthers Prediction, Betting Odds, and Our Best Bet

The Tampa Bay Lightning are heading to Sunrise, Florida, to face off against the Florida Panthers in a massive Atlantic Division showdown. With both teams fighting for playoff positioning in the final stretch of the season, this game could have some big implications for the playoff picture.

Bookmakers have the Panthers as slight favorites at home, priced at -142 on the moneyline, while the Lightning are almost completely even at +105. Both teams are on some seriously strong runs which is only adding to this exciting matchup.

So, this battle for the Sunshine State has plenty of betting opportunities for you to load up your bet slip. 

Betting Odds and Key Stats

Florida is on a tear as they’ve won 7 of the last 10 meetings against Tampa Bay, but the teams have split their regular-season series so far at one game a piece. The Panthers took Game 1 with a 4-2 win, while the Lightning responded with a dominant 4-0 rematch in the rematch the following night. These 2 teams haven’t seen each other since December and in some respects, they look like totally different teams but still as dominant.

Tampa Bay enters the game red hot, winning 8 straight, while Florida is on a 3-game win streak of its own. These are 2 of the best teams in the NHL so we think this game is going to be really good.

Lightning vs Panthers: Who Has the Edge?

Tampa Bay is rolling, winning 5 straight by a combined score of 17-4 and the teams they’re beating are some of the best as well which includes Washington and Edmonton.

They’ve been getting stellar plays from Andrei Vasilevskiy, who boasts one of the best save percentages in the NHL with a .923 SV% and 4 shutouts on the season. Nikita Kucherov remains an offensive force to be reckoned with, leading the Lightning with 87 points spanning 27 goals and 60 assists.

Florida, meanwhile, is just as dangerous, led by Sam Reinhart with 64 points over 31 goals and 33 assists, but they tend to have more depth. Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky is no Vasilevskiy but has been fairly solid as well, with a .904 SV% and 3 shutouts. The Panthers allow fewer shots per game than Tampa Bay, which could help them control the game.

While Tampa Bay undoubtedly has the momentum, Florida has been excellent at home this season. The Panthers have won 4 of their last 5 and have been especially dominant defensively, giving up just 1.9 goals per game over their last 10 games.

Lightning vs Panthers Prediction and Best Bet

This is a tough call, but we can’t overlook Florida’s defensive structure and strong home ice advantage that undoubtedly gives them the edge in this matchup.

Tampa Bay’s winning streak is nothing less than impressive, but looking at how they’ve been doing as of late, the Panthers have been equally sharp. Florida has also won 7 of the last 10 meetings, making them the safer bet at home. We won’t take the puck line on this, but they could notch an empty-netter to take the 1.5 puck line.

• HelloRookie’s Prediction: Panthers 3, Lightning 2
• Best Bet: Panthers Moneyline (-142)

If you’re looking for even more value on your bet, you might want to take a look at that puck line for the Panthers -1.5 at +180, but the moneyline is clearly the best play. We’re expecting a tight, low-scoring game which makes the under 5.5 at EVEN odds a solid secondary bet.

Either way, this is going to be one of the best games of the 6 game NHL slate for tonight.