The 2022 Stanley Cup betting action goes on Thursday, May 19, when Florida hosts Tampa Bay for Game 2 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series, so we have prepared the best Lightning vs. Panthers betting pick and odds. 

Tampa Bay upset the odds in the opener, outlasting Florida 4-1 as a +140 road underdog. The Lightning are listed as +140 moneyline dogs once more, while the Panthers are -160 favorites with a total of 6.5 goals on MyBookie Sportsbook. 

The Bolts erased an early deficit and fully deserved a win in Game 1                          

The Tampa Bay Lightning rallied from a first-period deficit in the opener, scoring four unanswered goals, including three in the third period. Four players found the back of the net; the Bolts went 3-for-6 with the man advantage, while Andrei Vasilevskiy posted 33 saves in his best performance of the 2022 Stanley Cup. 

Vasilevskiy guarded the cage in all seven games against the Maple Leafs in the previous round. He hasn’t impressed at all, tallying a .897 save percentage and yielding 22 goals in the process. The 27-year-old goalie went 39-18-5 with a 2.49 GAA and .916 save percentage last regular season. 

Nikita Kucherov scored a goal and made an assist in Game 1 against the Panthers. The 28-year-old star increased his postseason tally to ten points (three goals and seven dishes). Victor Hedman has two goals and six assists, while Ross Colton, Ondrej Palat, and Corey Perry have combined for ten goals. 

The Panthers need more from their offense          

The Florida Panthers eliminated the Washington Capitals in the first round in six games and entered the semifinals riding a three-game winning streak. However, the Panthers’ offense couldn’t cope with Andrei Vasilevskiy last Tuesday while going 0-for-3 with the man advantage. 

Florida finished the regular season with the best record in the NHL. The Panthers also owned the highest-scoring offense in the league, tallying 4.11 goals per contest. If they want to get past the two-time defending champions, the Panthers’ offense will have to play much better in future days. 

Carter Verhaeghe leads the way for Florida this postseason. The 26-year-old winger has six goals and six assists, but he was a non-factor in Game 1 against the Bolts. Claude Giroux has scored three goals and made four assists, while Aleksander Barkov and Aaron Ekblad have combined for three goals and eight assists. 

Trends:

Tampa Bay: 

  • N/A   

Florida:

  • 14-6 in the last 20 games overall 
  • 13-3 in the last 16 games at home 

Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Florida Panthers Pick 

The Panthers will be in trouble if they suffer another loss in Game 2. They have to do a much better job on the offensive end, and I’m expecting the Panthers to bounce back on the home ice. Florida and Tampa Bay split their four-game regular-season series, and the Panthers outscored the Bolts 19-15 in the process. 

Sergei Bobrovsky should get the starting call for the Panthers despite surrendering four goals on 36 shots in the opener. He owns a 2.98 GAA and .903 save percentage this postseason and was 39-7-3 with a 2.67 GAA and .913 SV% last regular season. 

Pick: Take Florida Panthers at -160             

The Total:

The first two regular-season encounters between Tampa Bay and Florida have produced only five goals in the total each, but the next two have been completely ridiculous, providing a whopping 12 goals in the total each. 

After a low-scoring opener, I’m looking for seven or more goals in Game 2. As I’ve mentioned, the Panthers have to lean on their offense and try to play at a fast pace. The Bolts are arguably a better defensive team in this matchup. 

Pick: Go over 6.5 goals at -115