Game Time: 8:30 pm ET, Tuesday, April 22, 2025
Venue: Amalie Arena, Tampa, FL
Where to Watch: ESPN
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Moneyline: Panthers +105, Lightning -125; Over/Under: 5.5 goals
Bet365: Moneyline: Panthers +105, Lightning -125; Over/Under: 5.5 goals
BetMGM: Moneyline: Panthers +105, Lightning -125; Over/Under: 5.5 goals
Season Record
Florida Panthers: 47-31-4 (3rd place, Atlantic Division)
Tampa Bay Lightning: 47-27-8 (2nd place, Atlantic Division)
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Recent Form
Florida Panthers: 3-6-1 last 10
Tampa Bay Lightning: 5-2-3 last 10
Florida Panthers vs Tampa Bay Lightning Preview and Analysis
The Panthers are entering the playoffs with 98 points, a 47-31-4 record overall, and they were 20-19-2 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a loss against the Tampa Bay Lightning in their last game, losing that one on the road 5-1. Brad Marchand scored 1 goal for them in that one. Matt Kiersted and Carter Verhaeghe each led the team in assists with 1 while Seth Jones, Niko Mikkola, and Mackie Samoskevich each led the team in shots on net in that game with 3. Vitek Vanecek was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 5 goals on 31 shots with 26 saves and a .839 save percentage. Their offense has scored 252 goals this season averaging 3.1 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 223 goals against them allowing 2.7 goals per game.
The Lightning are entering the playoffs with 102 points, a 47-27-8 record overall, and they were 29-8-4 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a loss against the New York Rangers in their last game, losing that one on the road 4-0. No one on the team scored a goal for them or recorded an assist in that one. Cameron Atkinson 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 22 shots with 18 saves and a .818 sv percentage. Their offense has scored 294 goals this season averaging 3.6 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 219 goals against them allowing 2.7 goals per game.
Panthers vs Lightning Prediction
The current betting odds have the Lightning listed as a slight favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. This is game 1 of a 7 game series between the 2nd seeded Lightning and the 3rd seeded Panthers from the Atlantic Division for the 1st round of the NHL playoffs. The Lightning have looked great in their games this season with a record that has them in the top 4 of the East, and they have also looked great on home ice. Meanwhile, the Panthers have looked good in their games this season, but they didn't end the regular season playing their best hockey. They haven't been a great road team this year either as they do have a losing road record. The Panthers are still the defending Stanley Cup champions from last year, but that doesn't bode well for them since there has been a different Stanley Cup winner the last 4 years in a row. The Panthers haven't looked great over the last few weeks either as they fell into a bad slump and dropped to 3rd in their division when they had a chance to win it and were in the lead just a few weeks ago. The Lightning weren't a top team for most of the season, but they have really put things together over the last 2 months and came surging up the standings in the East to get this 2nd place spot in the division and earn home advantage in the first round. This is going to be a great series between two rivals and the home advantage is going to be huge for the Lightning with the way the Panthers have played on the road. The Panthers have the playoff experience on their side as they have gone to the Stanley Cup Finals the last 2 years in a row, but this is still a Lightning team that has won 2 Cups in the last 5 years so they have their own experience to draw on. The Lightning have been playing better hockey coming into this series and they will be looking to set the tone in this first game. 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 22, 2025 (8:30 pm ET start time) is Lightning 4 Panthers 2.
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NHL Betting Trends
Florida Panthers: 8-4 (+6.9 units) on the moneyline in the first round of the playoffs. 29-17 (+8.1 units) on the moneyline after 2 or more consecutive losses. 110-82 (+11.3 units) on the moneyline against good passing teams - averaging 5 or more assists per game. 26-18 OVER revenging a blowout loss vs opponent of 3 goals or more.
Tampa Bay Lightning: 140-116 (-17 units) on the moneyline in all games. 21-25 (-14.4 units) on the moneyline off a road blowout loss by 3 goals or more. 71-78 (-24.2 units) on the moneyline against explosive offensive teams - scoring 3+ goals/game. 7-4 OVER in the first round of the playoffs.
Key Injuries
Florida Panthers: M. Tkachuk (LW) Out - Groin.
Tampa Bay Lightning: M. Chaffee (RW) Day To Day - Head. O. Bjorkstrand (RW) Out - Lower Body. L. Glendening (C) Out - Upper Body.
Notable Quotes
"That's an example of nine games in 15 days. Carter Verhaeghe looks like he's back. I loved [Evan Rodrigues'] game tonight. I don't think we lost any more players, which is a nice change for us. So, get home, tape it together and come back." - Paul Maurice after his team’s loss against the Lightning in their regular season finale.
"There is nothing that (Panthers coach) Paul (Maurice) doesn't know about us and I don't know about them. Maybe who is going to be in the lineup for them in Game 1, but other than that there's no secrets. The rep of the East has been the two of us for a half decade. The way the schedule sets up and the Battle of Florida happens it can be must-watch TV. It should be a lot of fun." - Jon Cooper after his team’s loss against the Rangers in their regular season finale.
Starting Lineups
Florida Panthers
LW Carter Verhaeghe
C Aleksander Barkov
RW Sam Reinhart
LD Gustav Forsling
RD Seth Jones
G Sergei Bobrovsky
Tampa Bay Lightning
LW Yanni Gourde
C Brayden Point
RW Nikita Kucherov
LD Victor Hedman
RD Janis Jérôme Moser
G Andrei Vasilevskiy
Statistical Leaders
Florida Panthers
Points: S. Reinhart (81)
Goals: S. Reinhart (39)
Assists: A. Barkov (51)
GAA: S. Bobrovsky (2.44)
Tampa Bay Lightning
Points: N. Kucherov (121)
Goals: B. Point (42)
Assists: N. Kucherov (84)
GAA: A. Vasilevskiy (2.18)
Coaches:
Florida Panthers: Paul Maurice (3rd season)
Tampa Bay Lightning: Jon Cooper (13th season)