Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau, and the Florida Panthers are set to do battle against Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov, and the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena in a divisional matchup. The action gets going at 7 p.m. ET on Monday, December 23 and it is being shown live on Fox SportsNet Florida.
Florida Panthers at Tampa Bay Lightning Odds
Moneyline and Over/Under (O/U) odds have not yet been posted for this matchup.
Florida is 18-17 straight up (SU) and has lost 0.5 units for moneyline bettors thus far. Through 35 regular season outings, 20 of its games have gone over the total, while 12 have gone under and just three have pushed. As an away team in 2019-20, the Panthers are 7-8 SU.
Florida has converted on 22.6 percent of its power play chances this season, a figure that places them in the top-10 among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 14th overall, and the team’s successfully killed off 82.0 percent of all penalties..
With a .902 save percentage and 26.5 saves per game, Sergei Bobrovsky (14-14-4) has been the primary option in goal for Florida this season. If it decides to give him a rest, however, Florida may turn to Sam Montembeault (3-4-1), who has a .889 save percentage and 3.31 goals against average this year.
Tampa Bay is 17-17 straight up (SU) and has lost 10.4 units for moneyline bettors thus far. 20 of its matches have gone over the total, while 13 have gone under and just one has pushed. It’s 9-9 SU at home this season.
The Lightning currently have the third-best power-play unit in the NHL, as they’ve scored on 27.8 percent of their extra-man advantages this season. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 15th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 80.9 percent of all opponent power plays.
Andrei Vasilevskiy has stopped 27.6 shots per game as the primary netminder in goal for the Lightning. Vasilevskiy has 14 wins, 11 losses, and two OT losses to his name and has registered a pedestrian 2.88 goals against average and a subpar .906 save percentage this season.
Florida Panthers at Tampa Bay Lightning Free Picks
Prediction: SU Winner – Lightning, O/U – Over
Betting Notes
- The Panthers (3-3 in shootouts) has more shootout experience coming into this one. The Lightning fell short in its only shootout this season.
- Florida has managed 29.8 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while Tampa Bay has been attempting 35.8 shots per game over its last five home outings.
- Over Florida’s last ten games, nine of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 6-3 in those games).
- The Lightning this season have recorded the ninth-most hits per game in the NHL (23.5).
