Lightning vs. Panthers Picks and Prediction – 4/26/2025

Tampa Bay Lightning (47-31-6) vs. Florida Panthers (52-24-6)
Time: 1:00 PM ET
Location: Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise, FL
TV: TBS / truTV / Max

Previous Games:

  • Panthers: 2-game winning streak (lead series 2-0)

  • Lightning: 3-game losing streak

Head-to-Head:

The Panthers have taken full control of this series, winning the first two games and outscoring Tampa Bay 8-2. Florida has dominated the Lightning in recent matchups, winning 12 of the last 16 meetings overall.

Tampa Bay Lightning Breakdown:

Tampa Bay is struggling badly at the wrong time, scoring just 2 total goals across their last three games. The Lightning's high-powered offense led by Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point has cooled off, and defensively they've been sloppy, allowing an average of 4.0 goals per game during their losing streak. Andrei Vasilevskiy has posted a .893 save percentage over his last 10 games, which won’t cut it against Florida’s depth.

Key Players:

  • Nikita Kucherov: 121 points this season

  • Brandon Hagel: 90 points, 2 goals in last 10 games

Florida Panthers Breakdown:

The Panthers are heating up at the perfect time, averaging 4 goals per game in the playoffs while giving up just 1 goal per game to Tampa so far. Sergei Bobrovsky has been locked in with a 2.02 GAA over his last 10 starts. Offensively, Florida is getting contributions up and down the lineup, with Sam Reinhart, Matthew Tkachuk, and Aleksander Barkov all producing early in the series.

Key Players:

  • Sam Reinhart: 8 points in last 10 games

  • Sergei Bobrovsky: 2.02 GAA, .909 SV%

Betting Trends:

Tampa Bay Lightning:

  • 2-5 SU in last 7 games.

  • 4-12 SU in last 16 games against Florida.

  • 6 of last 8 games have gone OVER the total.

Florida Panthers:

  • 5-2 SU in last 7 games.

  • UNDER has hit in 8 of last 11 games.

Exact Score Prediction:

Florida Panthers 3 – Tampa Bay Lightning 2

Our Best Bet:

Florida Panthers ML (-135)

Florida has completely dictated the series so far, dominating both offensively and defensively. With the Panthers now returning home where they are even stronger, and Tampa Bay struggling to generate consistent offense, the smart play is backing Florida on the moneyline. We expect the Panthers to ride their momentum and depth to a 3-0 series lead today.

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