Planning on watching today’s Lightning and Panthers game? Catch the action at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, FL, as the Panthers hosts this showdown at 7:30 ET on ESPN2. The over/under goal line for this matchup is currently at 5.5 goals, and the Panthers are favored by -1.5 vs. the Lightning.

TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING VS FLORIDA PANTHERS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Florida Panthers -1.5

This game will be played at FLA Live Arena at 7:30 ET on Tuesday, April 23rd.

WHY BET THE FLORIDA PANTHERS:

  • Coming in as 1.5 goal favorites, our projections have the Panthers picking up a 4-3 win.
  • Take the Panthers on the moneyline
  • On the spread, we like Lightning (+1.5)

Can the Lightning Lock in a Road Win?

Heading into this game, the Lightning find themselves in 6th place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 45-29-8. In the Atlantic Division, Tampa Bay is in 4th place and has gone 12-14 against divisional opponents this season. On the road, the Lightning are 20-18-3 for the year and have dropped their last two games away from home.

Over their last ten games, Tampa Bay has a record of 4-6 and has lost four of their last five games. As the underdog, the Lightning have gone 14-12-5 this season and have been the underdog in 31 of their 82 games. Against other Eastern Conference teams, Tampa Bay has gone 26-24 this year.

Overall, Tampa Bay’s puck line record is 43-39, including a mark of 23-28 as the favorite. So far, they have 34 wins by multiple goals and 26 losses by multiple goals.

On the road, the Lightning have a puck line record of 20-21 and have gone 7-3 in their last ten games. Across their last ten road games, the team’s average scoring margin is -.2 goals per contest.

This season, Tampa Bay’s games have an average of 6.8 goals per game. The average over/under number for the season is 6.4. The Lightning come in with an over/under performance of 39-37-6.

Although Tampa Bay has a straight up record of 0-3 in their last three road games, they have not held up as well vs the puck line going 1-2. The team averaged 2 goals per game in these games.

On offense, the Lightning are averaging 3.5 goals per game which is 5th in the NHL. In terms of shots on goal per game, they are 22nd in the league. Tampa Bay’s offense is currently ranked 1st in power play goals. When it comes to shorthanded goals, they are 24th in the league.

Tampa Bay will be looking for a good game from Brayden Point who leads the team in scoring with 46 goals, ranking 8th in the NHL. Point also comes into the game with 44 assists.

The Panthers defense is currently 29th in goals allowed. Opponents are averaging 27.6 shots per game against Florida. In terms of shutouts, they come into the game ranked 3rd with 8 shutouts.

Entering the game, goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy has started 52 games this season. His current record stands at 30-20, and his save percentage is 0.879%.

Does Florida Stand a Chance at Home?

At home this season, the Panthers have been excellent with a record of 26-13-2. Overall, they are 52-24-6 and have won four straight games. In the Eastern Conference, Florida is in 3rd place and 1st in the Atlantic Division.

Over their last five games, the Panthers have gone 5-0 and are currently on a five-game winning streak when favored. For the season, they have been favored in 67 of their 82 games and have gone 46-19-2 in those games.

Florida has gone 5-5 against the puck line in their last ten games at home and 14-27 on the season. So far, the Panthers have played 33 games that resulted in multiple-goal wins and have gone 29-38 against the puck line as the favorite.

Overall, the Panthers have an average scoring margin of +.8 goals per game and a +.6 goal per game margin at home. In their last five home games, Florida has gone 3-2 against the puck line.

The average goal total for Florida’s games is sitting at 5.7. The average over/under line for the season is 6.2. The Panthers come in with an over/under record of 30-49-3.

In their last three games away from home, the Lightning have a straight up record of 0-3 while going 1-2 vs the spread. The team’s offense averaged 2 goals per game in these contests.

On the offensive side, the Panthers are scoring an 3.2 goals per game this season, ranking 11th in the NHL. When it came to shots on target per game, they are 2nd in the league. The Panthers went 38-19 in games where they had more shots than their opponents. However, in games with fewer shots on goal, their record was 10-4.

Florida’s current leading scorer is Sam Reinhart. This season, he has 57 goals, which puts him 2nd in the NHL. Along with his scoring, he has come up with 37 assists so far.

In terms of defense, the Panthers head into the game ranked 29th in goals allowed. On average, opponents are taking 27.6 shots per game against Florida. So far, they are 3rd in shutouts, achieving 8 shutouts.

Goalie Sergei Bobrovsky gets the start and has made 58 starts this season. His record at this point is 36-17, and his save percentage is 0.948%.