The Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning are gearing up for the second installment of the battle of Florida this season and both teams enter this contest having won three out of their last four games.
The Lightning won the first meeting between these two teams back in October, defeating the Panthers 3-2 in overtime in South Florida. Now, the Panthers storm into Tampa looking to get their revenge and to continue their strong play.
Check out my NHL picks and predictions for the Lightning vs. Panthers on December 10.
Panthers vs Lightning best odds
Panthers vs Lightning picks and predictions
Is it possible that the Tampa Bay Lightning are being slept on? The Bolts are currently in third place in the Atlantic Division, but it seems as though people have forgotten that they are the three-time defending Eastern Conference Champions.
Tampa enters this contest as the ninth-best offensive team in the league, averaging 3.50 goals for per game, but the reason it isn’t being talked about as much is that its goaltender, Andrei Vasilevskiy, hasn’t been the best in the league this season.
That being said, Vasilevskiy is still looking good in goal, he’s just not putting up the numbers we are used to seeing. He enters this game sporting a 10-8-1 record with a 2.75 goals against average and a .909 save percentage to go with his +6.3 goals saved above expected. Even though he hasn’t been at his absolute best, he still gives the Lightning a chance to win every night.
Let’s be honest, it’s not like the Panthers’ goaltending has been much better. They haven’t named their starter for tonight just yet, but Spencer Knight and Sergei Bobrovsky have been splitting the goal basically the entire season. Knight has been the better of the two, as he is boasting a .919 save percentage and a 2.64 goals against average. Bobrovsky hasn’t been very good. He is skating to a .884 save percentage along with a 3.51 goals against average.
My feeling is that Florida will start Bobrovsky because he had a strong effort in the team’s most recent game, making 19 saves on 20 shots.
Florida isn’t the same team as last year. It does a fine job at generating offense, but Tampa is so much stronger than it on the blue line. The Lightning offense has just as much, if not more weapons than the Panthers. I think the Bolts’ power play takes over and Vasilevskiy stands strong. I like Tampa to win outright.
My best bet: Lightning moneyline (-135 at BetMGM)
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Panthers vs Lightning moneyline analysis
Nikita Kucherov (38 points) and Steven Stamkos (32 points) are lighting up the league once again, while the newest addition to the Panthers, Matthew Tkachuk (37 points) is helping find a new identity for his team down in Florida.
The X-factor in the last meeting between these two teams was the special teams. The Lightning were able to convert on two of their seven power play chances and the Panthers didn’t convert on any of their five chances. I believe that the same theme will be a factor today. The Panthers’ power play has not been very strong this season and as a matter of fact, neither has their penalty kill, whereas the Bolts have the third-best man advantage in the NHL.
Tampa is essentially the better team in nearly every single category and when you add in the home ice factor, I think it gives it an extra edge. The Bolts are 9-4-1 at home and the Panthers haven’t been all that special on the road this season. This is Tampa’s game to lose.
Panthers vs Lightning Over/Under analysis
I’ve got my eye set on the Under for a couple of reasons. This is going to be a solid goaltending battle between Vasilevskiy and whoever the Panthers start, but also because in this rivalry it seems to be a trend. The Under has hit five straight times in the battle of Florida, so it is clear that these goalies bring their best when these two teams meet.
The offensive numbers might stand out for both teams, but you can’t put a stat on the emotion that is featured in the game when the Panthers and Lightning collide. Vasilevskiy and Knight both allow fewer than three goals per game, and I think they will keep things low scoring once again.
Panthers vs Lightning betting trend to know
The favorite is 25-11 in the last 36 meetings. Find more NHL betting trends for Panthers vs Lightning.
Panthers vs Lightning game info
| Location: | Amalie Arena, Tampa, FL |
| Date: | Saturday, December 10, 2022 |
| Puck drop: | 4:30 p.m. ET |
| TV: | Bally Sports Sun Xtra, Bally Sports Florida |
