The Tampa Bay Lightning meet the Florida Panthers Sunday afternoon in Sunrise in Game 1 of their 1st-round Sunshine State series. Puck drop is scheduled for 12:40 p.m. ET (ESPN). Below, we analyze FanDuel Sportsbook’s'lines around the Lightning vs. Panthers odds, and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
The Lightning and Panthers meet once again in the NHL playoffs, and Florida is hoping for a much better result this time. Tampa Bay swept Florida in the 2nd round of the 2022 playoffs on their way to winning a 2nd straight Stanley Cup. The Panthers have been victorious in 4 of their last 5 regular-season matchups, averaging over 5 goals per game during that stretch.
Tampa Bay wrapped up its regular season with a 6-4 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs, snapping a 3-game losing streak. RW Nikita Kucherov scored a goal and recorded an assist as he finished the regular season with a league-leading 144 points, earning him his 2nd Art Ross Trophy.
Florida also capped off the regular season with a 5-2 home win over Toronto to extend its winning streak to 4 games. C Sam Reinhart finished 2nd in the NHL in goals scored (57) and led the league in power-play goals with 27.