The Tampa Bay Lightning host the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night at Amalie Arena in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series. The game starts at 8:30 PM ET. This is the fourth playoff series between the teams in the last five years.
Tampa Bay finished second in the Atlantic Division at 47-27-5-3, while Florida ended third with a 47-31-4-0 mark. Tampa Bay won the most recent meeting on April 15 by a score of 5-1. The Panthers won last year’s playoff matchup in five games on their way to the Stanley Cup title.
Panthers Preview – Hoping to Get Healthy and Steady
Florida has been dealing with injuries to key players but could get forward Matthew Tkachuk back. He practiced with Sam Bennett and Mackie Samoskevich and may return after missing 25 games. The Panthers also expect more from Aleksander Barkov, who had 71 points in 67 games this season.
Florida ended the regular season with a 7-10-1 slide but still won 47 games. The power play converted on 23.5% of chances this year, led by Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Reinhart. The Panthers also added veteran Brad Marchand to their third line late in the season.
Goalie Sergei Bobrovsky is expected to start. He went 33-19-2 with a .905 save percentage and five shutouts. Defensemen Aaron Ekblad and Dmitry Kulikov are both out for the first two games, which puts pressure on Gustav Forsling and Niko Mikkola to carry the blue line.
Lightning Preview – Offense in Full Gear
Tampa Bay scored 292 goals this season, the most in the NHL. Nikita Kucherov led the league with 121 points, while Brayden Point scored 42 goals. Jake Guentzel, a trade deadline pickup, added 41 goals of his own between Carolina and Tampa Bay.
The Lightning went 29-8-4 at home, including a 5-1 win over Florida in the season finale. Goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy had 38 wins, a 2.18 GAA, and six shutouts. Tampa Bay’s penalty kill was strong, and the team went 6-for-15 on the power play in its last five games.
Tampa is missing Oliver Bjorkstrand for this series, but the top lines remain intact. Defensemen Victor Hedman and Ryan McDonagh lead the blue line, while the team gets physical support from Erik Cernak and Darren Raddysh. Tampa has won 7 of its last 10 against Florida, including three of four this season.
Betting Prediction
The Lightning are -120 favorites with the total set at 5.5 goals. Tampa Bay is 29-8-4 at home this season and has won four straight home games. Florida is 20-19-2 on the road and is 3-2 in its last five overall.
Both teams have high-end talent, but Tampa Bay is more balanced and healthier entering Game 1. If Tkachuk plays, Florida’s offense improves, but Vasilevskiy gives the Lightning the edge in net. Final score prediction: Lightning 3, Panthers 2.
Pick: Tampa Bay Lightning -120
This is going to be a great series between these two rivals. We will take Tampa Bay at home in the first game. Enjoy the series and best of luck with all your NHL betting!
