Florida Panthers vs
Tampa Bay LightningPredictions & Preview

Tampa Bay Lightning Favored to Win Game 1 Against Florida Panthers in NHL Eastern Conference Series

The Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning will face off in Game 1 of their NHL Eastern Conference best-of-seven series on Tuesday. The Panthers ended the regular season in 3rd place in the Atlantic division with 47 wins and 98 points, while the Lightning finished in 2nd place with 47 wins and 102 points. Florida has struggled in their last 10 games, going 3-6-1, while Tampa Bay has been more successful with a 5-2-3 record. Both teams will be missing key players, with Jesse Puljujarvi out for Florida and Oliver Bjorkstrand out for Tampa Bay, while Luke Glendening and Mitchell Chaffee are day-to-day. Tampa Bay is the betting favorite for Game 1, opening at -112 and currently sitting at -115. Hockey fans are encouraged to read the full prediction to make informed NHL picks for the Florida Panthers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning matchup.

Betting Odds

• Moneyline: Panthers -101 | Lightning -115
• Spread: Panthers +1.5 (-260) | Lightning -1.5 (+220)
• Total: Over/Under 5.5 (-110)
• Based on the moneyline, the implied probability that Tampa Bay will win straight-up is 53%.

Florida vs Tampa Bay Stats

Florida Panthers

The Florida Panthers had a successful regular season, finishing 15th in goals for with an average of 3.0 and 8th in goals against with an average of 2.7. Their power play ranked 12th in the NHL, scoring 23.5% of the time they had the man advantage, while their penalty kill was 11th, holding opponents scoreless 80.7% of the time they were short-handed. Sam Reinhart led the team in goals with 39 and points with 81, with Sam Bennett scoring 25 goals as well. Aleksander Barkov had the most assists with 51 and second in points with 71. Gustav Forsling led in plus/minus at 33. Top goalie Sergei Bobrovsky had a record of 33-19-2 with a 2.44 goals against average, .906 save percentage, and five shutouts. Overall, with a power ranking of 3, the Panthers rank 15th in offense, 6th in defense, and have a season record of 47-31-4.

Tampa Bay Lightning Analysis

The Tampa Bay Lightning finished the regular season with impressive statistics, ranking first in goals scored and fifth in goals against. Their power play was fifth in the league, scoring 25.9% of the time when on the man advantage, while their penalty kill was seventh, holding opponents scoreless 81.6% of the time they were shorthanded. Leading goal scorer Brayden Point tallied 42 goals, with Jake Guentzel close behind at 41. Nikita Kucherov led in assists with 84 and points with 121, also leading the NHL. Defenseman Ryan McDonagh led in plus/minus at 43. Goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy had an impressive 38-20-5 record with a 2.18 GAA, .921 save percentage, and six shutouts. The Lightning are ranked fourth in power rankings, with a dominant offense and solid defense. In recent matchups, Florida went 2-1-0 against Tampa Bay.

Tampa Bay Poised for Victory Over Florida with Home Ice Advantage and Impressive Goaltending

Tampa Bay holds the advantage in the upcoming match against Florida due to playing on home ice and having Andrei Vasilevskiy as their goaltender, who had an impressive record of 38 wins in 63 games during the regular season. Vasilevskiy maintained a 2.18 goals against average, .921 save percentage, and achieved six shutouts. In their recent game on Tuesday, Vasilevskiy led the Lightning to a 5-1 victory over Florida. Florida's performance has been inconsistent, with seven losses in their last 10 games and six consecutive losses on the road. Tampa Bay, on the other hand, has a record of 5-3-2 in their last 10 games and finished the regular season with the third-highest points in the Eastern Conference. Considering these factors, the slight advantage lies with Tampa Bay due to their strong performance at home and in goal, as well as Florida's recent struggles.

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