Florida Panthers at Tampa Bay Lightning Game 4 odds, picks and predictions

Analyzing Saturday’s Florida Panthers at Tampa Bay Lightning odds and lines, with NHL expert picks, predictions and best bets.

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The Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning meet in Game 4 of a best-of-7 Eastern Conference, 1st-round series Thursday. The Panthers lead the series 3-0. Puck drop from Amalie Arena is set for 5 p.m. ET (TBS). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Panthers vs. Lightning odds, and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.

The Panthers dominated the Bolts in Game 3 with a 5-3 win and took a commanding 3-0 lead. LW Matthew Tkachuk netted 2 goals to give him 3 in the series. Florida has now won 7 of the last 8 meetings and put Tampa’s winning window at risk of closing.

The Lightning are just 2 for 12 on the power play in the series. RW Nikita Kucherov was a little more noticeable with 4 shots in Game 3 after just 3 SOG in the first 2 games, but he has no goals and 3 assists in the series. He just hasn’t delivered what the team needs thus far. The Lightning still have a chance to make it interesting as they were 25-11-5 on home ice this season.

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Panthers at Lightning odds

Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 11:45 a.m. ET.

  • Moneyline (ML): Panthers -125 (bet $125 to win $100) | Lightning +105 (bet $100 to win $105)
  • Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Panthers -1.5 (+195) | Lightning +1.5 (-250)
  • Over/Under (O/U): 6 (O: -120 | U: +100)

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Panthers at Lightning projected goalies

Sergei Bobrovsky (36-17-4, 2.37 GAA, .915 SV%, 6 SO) vs. Andrei Vasilevskiy (30-20-2, 2.90 GAA, .900 SV%, 2 SO)

Bob has allowed 7 goals on 71 shots in the series to give him a 2.30 GAA and .901 SV%. The 3 goals that were netted in Game 3 were the most he has allowed in the last 5 games. The defense in front of him has been smothering, and they’ve kept the league-best power play (28.6%) to just 16.7%.

Vassy has regressed as the series has gone along, allowing 2, 3 and 4 goals, respectively. He stopped 26 of 30 shots in Game 3. He hasn’t looked the same all season, and that’s likely due to missing the early part due to back surgery. He’s still just 29 and has the ability to shut down a team at any point.

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Panthers at Lightning picks and predictions

Prediction

Panthers 4, Lightning 2

Moneyline

This series ended in Game 3 as the Panthers are just too much for this Lightning squad. Kucherov just hasn’t been the game-breaking player he was during the regular season.

Take the PANTHERS -125 to complete the sweep.

Puck line/Against the spread

I don’t like either side of the puck line here.

We’re targeting MATTHEW TKACHUK OVER 3.5 SHOTS (-105) here, as he has 4+ shots in all 3 games in the series and in 5 straight overall. He sniffs blood and will continue applying pressure.

Over/Under

We’ve had 3-2, 3-2 and 5-3 finishes in the series, and I’m pegging this one to push. If it comes down to 5.5, I plan to hit the Over. Until then, though, the books have this one mapped out well.

PASS.

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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

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Florida Panthers at Tampa Bay Lightning Game 3 odds, picks and predictions

Analyzing Wednesday’s Florida Panthers at Tampa Bay Lightning odds and lines, with NHL expert picks, predictions and best bets.

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The Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning meet in Game 3 of a best-of-7 Eastern Conference, 1st-round series Thursday. The Panthers lead the series 2-0. Puck drop from Amalie Arena is set for 7 p.m. ET (TBS). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Panthers vs. Lightning odds, and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.

The Panthers endured the Lightning with a 3-2 overtime win in Game 2. It came at a cost, though, as C Sam Bennett is out with an upper body injury in this one. Bennett, who had 20 goals in the regular season, scored a goal in the 1st of Game 2.

The Lightning were just 1 for 6 on the power play in Game 2, and that will need to be improved upon in order to climb back in it. RW Nikita Kucherov has been kept off the score sheet with just 3 SOG in 2 games, but he has 2 assists. The Lightning were 25-11-5 on home ice this season.

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Panthers at Lightning odds

Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 12:35 p.m. ET.

  • Moneyline (ML): Panthers -105 (bet $105 to win $100) | Lightning -115 (bet $115 to win $100)
  • Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Panthers +1.5 (-275) | Lightning -1.5 (+220)
  • Over/Under (O/U): 6 (O: -115 | U: -105)

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Panthers at Lightning projected goalies

Sergei Bobrovsky (36-17-4, 2.37 GAA, .915 SV%, 6 SO) vs. Andrei Vasilevskiy (30-20-2, 2.90 GAA, .900 SV%, 2 SO)

Bob has been solid, allowing just 2 goals in each game of the series. He really hasn’t been tested too much, though, stopping 17 in Game 1 and 21 in Game 2. He was 2-1-0 with a 2.71 GAA and .892 SV% in 3 games against Tampa during the regular season.

Vassy has been solid as well, despite being in an 0-2 hole. He stopped 25 of 27 in Game 1 and 34 of 37 in Game 2 as Florida has just turned up the decibels to ear-popping levels. He was 1-2-0 with a 4.50 GAA and .883 SV% in 3 regular season games against Florida.

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Panthers at Lightning picks and predictions

Prediction

Lightning 3, Panthers 2

Moneyline

The Panthers have won 6 of the last 7 meetings — including 3 in this building. This really is the Lightning’s last stand, though, because if they lose this one, they’re likely getting swept. They have considerable questions to answer during the offseason as well with C Steven Stamkos becoming a free agent.

The Panthers are down a man, and I look for the Lightning to put up more than the handful of shots they’ve taken thus far.

Take the LIGHTNING -115 at a solid price.

Puck line/Against the spread

I’m going to pass on the puck line, but I will take a chance on something that will correlate with a Lightning win. Kucherov has to get going. Three shots on goal in 2 playoff losses looks bad, and I look for him to come out firing.

Take NIKITA KUCHEROV ANYTIME GOAL +140 for a good return.

Over/Under

At most, I see a push here. The Over is just 3-7 in the last 10 meetings between the clubs. We have had a 3-2 final in each game, and maybe an empty netter pushes it here.

LEAN UNDER 6 (-120).

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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

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