Florida Panthers vs Tampa Bay Lightning Prediction, Preview and Odds - 04/15/2025

Game Time: 7:30 pm ET, Tuesday, April 15, 2025

Venue:  Amalie Arena, Tampa, FL

Where to Watch:  ESPN

DraftKings:  Moneyline:  Panthers +124, Lightning -148; Over/Under:  5.5 goals

Bet365:  Moneyline:  Panthers +125, Lightning -150; Over/Under:  5.5 goals

BetMGM:  Moneyline:  Panthers +125, Lightning -150; Over/Under:  5.5 goals

Florida Panthers:  47-29-4 (3rd place, Atlantic Division)

Tampa Bay Lightning:  46-26-8 (2nd place, Atlantic Division)

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Florida Panthers:  5-4-1 last 10

Tampa Bay Lightning:  6-1-3 last 10

The Panthers are entering this game with 98 points, a 47-29-4 record overall, and they are 20-18-2 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a win against the Buffalo Sabres in their last game, winning that one at home 3-2 in a shootout, but this is also the 2nd game of a back-to-back for them with their game against the New York Rangers still to be played on Monday night. In their game against the Sabres, Carter Verhaeghe and Jesse Puljujärvi each scored 1 goal for them in that one. Carter Verhaeghe, Uvis Balinskis, Seth Jones, and Evan Rodrigues each led the team in assists with 1 while Jesse Puljujärvi, Evan Rodrigues, and Jesper Boqvist each led the team in shots on net in that game with 4. Vitek Vanecek was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 2 goals on 28 shots with 26 saves and a .928 save percentage. Their offense has scored 248 goals this season averaging 3.1 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 213 goals against them allowing 2.7 goals per game.

The Lightning are entering this game with 100 points, a 46-26-8 record overall, and they are 28-8-4 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a win against the Buffalo Sabres in their last game, winning that one at home 7-4. Nikita Kucherov and Jake Guentzel each led the team in goals scored with 2 while Conor Geekie, Emil Lilleberg, and Ryan McDonagh each scored 1 goal for them in that one. Brandon Hagel led the team in assists with 3 while Nikita Kucherov, Anthony Cirelli, Jake Guentzel, and Conor Geekie each led the team in shots on net in that game with 4. Jonas Johansson was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 4 goals on 25 shots with 21 saves and a .840 sv percentage. Their offense has scored 215 goals this season averaging 2.7 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 233 goals against them allowing 2.9 goals per game.

The current betting odds have the Lightning listed as a favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Lightning have looked really good in their games this season with their 46-26-8 record overall which has them in 2nd place of their division in the East and in a playoff spot. They have also looked great on home ice this year with their 28-8-4 home record. Meanwhile, the Panthers have looked really good in their games this season with their 47-29-4 record overall which has them in 3rd place of their division in the East and in a playoff spot. They haven't been a great road team though with their 20-18-2 road record this season. They have been starting to play better lately with 3 wins in a row now, but they definitely haven't been at their best as they are still 5-4-1 in their last 10 games. The Lightning have been the better team lately as they are 6-1-3 in their last 10 games, and they are coming off a 7-4 win over the Sabres in their last one. The Lightning still need to win this game since the Panthers are only 2 points behind and they are playing for the home advantage against the Panthers in the first round of the playoffs. They are going to bring their best effort since a win will clinch their 2nd place spot and the home advantage for that first playoff series. The Panthers have looked better lately, but they have struggled a lot over the last 2 weeks and haven't looked great in road games all year while the Lightning have been a really tough team to beat at home all season. The best way to place a bet here is on the Lightning to win this game. 

Panthers Lightning Prediction:  Our NHL Pick for Tuesday, April 15, 2025 (7:30 pm ET start time) is Lightning 4 Panthers 2.

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Florida Panthers: 28-28 (+10.2 units) on the moneyline as an underdog. 107-82 (+6.2 units) on the moneyline against explosive offensive teams - scoring 3+ goals/game. 110-80 (+14 units) on the moneyline against good passing teams - averaging 5 or more assists per game. 24-13 UNDER on the road when playing against a marginal winning team (Win Pct. 51% to 60%). 

Tampa Bay Lightning: 139-115 (-16.8 units) on the moneyline in all games. 14-21 (-13.3 units) on the moneyline off a win against a division rival. 57-62 (-13.3 units) on the moneyline when playing against a team with a winning record. 9-5 UNDER against good defensive teams - opponents average 26.5 shots on goal or less.

Florida Panthers:  S. Reinhart (C) Day To Day - Rest. T. Nosek (LW) Day To Day - Illness. A. Barkov (C) Day To Day - Rest. D. Kulikov (D) Out - Upper-Body. S. Bennett (C) Out - Upper-body. M. Tkachuk (LW) Out - Groin.

Tampa Bay Lightning:  O. Bjorkstrand (RW) Out - Lower Body. D. Raddysh (D) Day To Day - Undisclosed. L. Glendening (C) Out - Upper Body.

“He is a very interesting player. He is big (6-foot-4, 216 pounds), and isn’t afraid to hit. There is some offensive instinct in him. We think there is an impactful player there.” - Paul Maurice after his team’s win against the Sabres in their game on Saturday.

"The guys knew what was at stake today and I thought we had a really outstanding second period. It's a good sign for a team to give up two in the last minute (of the first period), which is a no-no, and come out in the second the way we did. That was probably the difference in the game." - Jon Cooper after his team’s win against the Sabres in their game on Sunday.

LW Carter Verhaeghe

C Aleksander Barkov

RW Sam Reinhart

LD Dmitry Kulikov

RD Seth Jones

G Vitek Vanecek

LW Yanni Gourde

C Brayden Point

RW Nikita Kucherov

LD Victor Hedman

RD Janis Jérôme Moser

G Jonas Johansson

Points: S. Reinhart (79)

Goals: S. Reinhart (37)

Assists: A. Barkov (49)

GAA: S. Bobrovsky (2.39)

Points: N. Kucherov (119)

Goals: B. Point (41)

Assists: N. Kucherov (83)

GAA: A. Vasilevskiy (2.20)

Coaches:

Florida Panthers: Paul Maurice (3rd season)

Tampa Bay Lightning: Jon Cooper (13th season)