Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Florida Panthers. Shape of the Teams
The Tampa Bay Lightning will host the Florida Panthers on Thursday for their third game of a potential seven-game series.
The Panthers have proved with their play to be one of the best teams in hockey in the regular season, finishing in first place in the Atlantic Division with 110 points. The Lightning, on the other hand, weren’t too far behind them with 12 fewer points but did barely hold on to a playoff spot.
tonight was a movie pic.twitter.com/3285Qkj2kH
— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) April 24, 2024
Throughout the first two games of this series, it’s been clear that Florida is the much better team, but as Tampa Bay has shown throughout the past few years, they certainly have more than enough to claw back and make this a series.
Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Florida Panthers Prediction
- Pick: Lightning to Win
- Odds: +142 (Tonybet)
Although the Tampa Bay Lightning are down 0-2 to start this series, the Florida Panthers can’t keep their foot off the gas.
When looking at what has gone right for Florida this season, it’s been their ability to score the puck at a decent level.
Factor in that they also only gave up 200 goals, which ranked as the fewest in the entire Eastern Conference and the second-fewest in the NHL, it’s easy to see why they found the success they did.
Sergei Bobrovsky is one of the best goalkeepers in hockey and should be able to keep doing so. He’s proven in the playoffs that he can be as good as anybody. He also has experience, as this is one of many years that he finds himself in a position to carry his team in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
nothing to see here pic.twitter.com/yuYI7sgOLe
— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) April 24, 2024
While the Panthers are up 2-0, the fact that they only won both games by one goal does lead to some intrigue in this game. The second game was finished in overtime, and in the first game, the Panthers scored two goals in the third period. If the Lightning can find a way to close games out and make this 2-2 as they head back to the Panthers, they could have a shot in the series.
That’s all going to start with what they do in Game 3, and although it does seem unlikely that they will win this series, all they can worry about is Game 3. This should be a good time for them to take care of business.
Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Florida Panthers Betting Tip
- Pick: Matthew Tkachuk over 0.5 points
- Odds: TBD (Tonybet)
Matthew Tkachuk over 0.5 points will be the best bet in this game for a player prop. When looking at what he’s done throughout the regular season and first two games, it’s been clear that he’s one of the best players in hockey. He played in just 49 games due to injury, but was a +3 during his time on the ice and had 42 points.
In his first two games of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, he already has three points. His ability to score the puck at a high level and also dish it out to teammates, finishing with 23 assists in those 49 games, should lead to him finding success in this game as well.
Points are tough to come by in these games, but he’s proven throughout his entire career that he can make it happen on the offensive side of the puck when it matters most, and that’s exactly the type of player that we want to back when doing these type of bets.
Disclaimer: Odds are accurate at the time of posting and subject to change. Please verify the latest odds on our platform before betting.
