The Tampa Bay Lightning host the Florida Panthers in Game 4 of their Stanley Cup Playoffs first-round series Saturday. Puck drop is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. ET at Amalie Arena. Below, we analyze the Panthers-Lightning odds and lines, with NHL picks and predictions.
The Panthers survived in overtime in Game 3, winning 6-5 as slight underdogs. After taking a 2-0 lead, the Lightning outscored the Panthers 5-1 in the second period. However, Florida scratched back to force overtime and won it on a Ryan Lomberg goal.
The Lightning have allowed 11 goals in the first three games, so the Panthers’ offense has plenty of confidence against Andrei Vasilevskiy. Tampa has scored 13 goals in the three games, however, and they still maintain home-ice advantage despite the Game 3 loss.
Panthers at Lightning: Odds, spread and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 6:05 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Panthers +120 (bet $100 to win $120) | Lightning -145 (bet $145 to win $100)
- Against the spread/ATS: Panthers +1.5 (-200) | Lightning -1.5 (+170)
- Over/Under: 6 (O: +100 | U: -120)
Panthers at Lightning: Projected starting goalies
Sergei Bobrovsky (19-8-2, 2.91 GAA, .906 SV%) vs. Andrei Vasilevskiy (31-10-1, 2.21 GAA, .925 SV%, 5 SO)
The Panthers went with Chris Driedger in Game 3 to start, but he was smacked around for five goals on 22 shots. Bobrovsky came on to start the third period and he turned aside all nine shots he faced to earn the OT win.
Vasilevskiy was tested early and often in Game 3, as he made 41 saves. But he also was beaten six times, including two times on the power play. The Lightning led 5-3 after 40 minutes, but Vasilevskiy allowed three goals in the final 25:56.
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Panthers at Lightning: Odds, lines, predictions and picks
Prediction
Lightning 3, Panthers 2
Money line (ML)
The LIGHTNING (-145) were 20 minutes away from taking a commanding 3-0 series lead, but a third-period hiccup and overtime goal got the Panthers (+120) back in the series.
Still, Tampa has the home-ice advantage, and they should be able to push past the pesky Cats.
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Against the spread (ATS)
The Panthers +1.5 (-200) will cost you two times your potential return, and that’s risky business. Still, I think this is going to be a close game decided by one goal, something we’ve seen in two of the first three in the series. The juice is just too high to take Florida here.
AVOID.
Over/Under (O/U)
UNDER 6 (-120) is the lean here. We have seen an explosion of offense in Games 1 and 3. However, we saw a rather defensive battle in Game 2, and we should see a tighter game in this one, too.
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