Florida Panthers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning Prediction, Preview, and Odds

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It’s a battle of Atlantic Division foes as a pair of teams from the Sunshine State clash on the ice in search of two points. The Florida Panthers are on the road as they make the trip within the state as they take on the Tampa Bay Lightning Tuesday night. Florida fell 3-1 at home to Buffalo in their previous contest Friday night as luck was not in their favor. Tampa Bay was drubbed 7-3 on the road by Pittsburgh Sunday afternoon in their most recent action in the second game of a back-to-back situation. In the last 10 meetings, the Lightning own an 8-2 advantage but it was the Panthers earning a 7-1 home victory in the most recent matchup on February 6.

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Florida Panthers Rested and Looking to Bounce Back

Florida has alternated wins and losses in their last eight games as they were beaten at home by Buffalo Friday night. The Panthers entered Monday sixth in the Atlantic Division, 31 points behind the Bruins for the division lead and 14 points back of the Lightning for the final guaranteed playoff spot. They stood three points back of the Penguins for the second wild card spot. Florida is 8 in the league in goals per game as they put up an average of 3.41 goals a night this season. The Panthers are tied for 23 in the league in goals against as they allow an average of 3.48 goals per contest. Florida is 14 in power play success as they have cashed in on 21.6% of their chances with the man advantage this season. The Panthers are 27 in the league in penalty killing as they successfully navigate 74.2% of their shorthanded situations on the year.

Against Buffalo, Florida fired plenty of rubber on goal at Craig Anderson but couldn’t get enough pucks in the net to wind up on the wrong end of the scoreboard. The Panthers were outshot 14-11 in the opening period of play but went to the dressing room scoreless after 20 minutes of action. Florida held a 15-9 advantage in shots on goal only to get outscored 2-0 to trail by that margin at the second intermission. In the third period, the Panthers held a commanding 24-10 shot edge but both teams only scored once in the stanza, leaving the hosts on the short end of the stick offensively. Carter Verhaeghe got the Panthers within a goal with his 31 goal of the season at 8:34 off assists from Anthony Duclair and Eetu Luostarinen. That was the only time that Florida would light the lamp on the night and they gave up an insurance goal just over two minutes later. Sergei Bobrovsky made 30 saves for the Panthers, who owned a 50-33 advantage in shots on goal, in the loss. He is expected to get the start between the pipes again here.

Tampa Bay Lightning Battling Fatigue Factor

Tampa Bay was hammered by Pittsburgh in the second game of a back-to-back Sunday so they play their third game in four nights and their fourth in six nights here. The Lightning entered Monday night third in the Atlantic Division with a 37-18-4 record, leaving them 17 points behind the Bruins for the top spot. They were 12 points ahead of Buffalo for the final guaranteed playoff spot in the Atlantic Division. Tampa Bay went into Monday 4 in the league in goals per game as they average 3.56 goals per contest. The Lightning stands 13 in goals against by allowing 2.95 goals per game. Tampa Bay is 2 with the man advantage as they cash in on 25.7% of their chances with the man advantage this season. The Lightning are 12 in penalty killing as they successfully work through 81.2% of their shorthanded situations on the year.

Against Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay had major struggles in their own zone and it cost them dearly in the loss. The Lightning was outshot by a 10-8 margin in the opening period but took a 2-1 lead to the dressing room at the first intermission. After giving up the first goal of the game to trail 1-0, Tampa Bay tied the score on Anthony Cirelli’s ninth goal of the season at 16:06 off an assists from Zach Bogosian. Just under two minutes later, Nikita Kucherov gave Tampa Bay a 2-1 lead with his 23 goal of the year at 18:05 with assists going to Brayden Point and Ian Cole. Things fell apart in the second period as Tampa Bay was outshot 19-6 and outscored 6-0 to trail 7-2 at the second intermission. In the third period, the Lightning held a 12-7 shot edge and scored the lone goal of the period, though it was far too little, too late. Brayden Point closed the scoring with his 36 goal of the season, on the power play, at 7:57 off assists from Kucherov and Mikhail Sergachev. Brian Elliott made 29 saves for the Lightning, who were outshot 36-29, in the loss. Andrei Vasilevskiy is expected to be between the pipes for this contest.

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Both teams have been inconsistent of late though the Lightning are in better shape as far as a playoff berth goes at this stage of the season. The Panthers still have to leapfrog several teams to get into the second wild-card spot in the East and better health would be helpful. Aleksander Barkov (hand) is out again for this game while Sam Bennett is questionable. That could leave Florida minus their top two centers for this contest, as they were against Buffalo. It can be tough to match weapons with the Lightning on a good night, much less when you’re missing pieces. The Panthers haven’t had much success against Tampa Bay lately and that trend continues here. As the Metallica album says, ride the Lightning to a home triumph.

Prediction: Tampa Bay Lighting -150

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Florida has seen the over post 34-21-6 mark in their 61 games on the year entering this game. The Panthers have seen an average total of 6.89 goals per game on the season, though that number edges up to 6.97 goals per contest as the visiting team this season. Tampa Bay has seen the over post a 28-23-9 record in their 60 games this season. The Lightning have seen an average of 6.51 goals per game this season, a number that jumps to 6.76 goals per contest as the home team this season. There were six straight unders in the series before the Panthers’ win back in December. With Tampa Bay gassed and the Panthers potentially minus their top two centers, the total is a little too high to chase here. Lean toward the under.

Prediction: Under 7

Chris King has been immersed in the world of professional and collegiate sports for more than three decades. Whether it's playing pickup games or being involved in organized sports to being a fan, he's checked all the boxes. From the NFL to arena football, the NHL to the KHL, the NBA to the WNBA to college hoops, and even MLB to the KBO.  If it's out there, he's covered it and bet on it as well, as Chris has been an expert bettor in his career.  Before joining Winners and Whiners back in 2015, his work appeared around the internet and in print. He's written books for Ruckus Books about college basketball, the NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL, golf, and the World Cup. If you're looking for the inside track on hitting a winner, do yourself a favor and read what Chris has to say.