A couple of teams that’ve positioned themselves squarely in the playoff picture, the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Florida Panthers clash at the BB&T Center. This divisional matchup will get underway at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday, December 10, and it’s being shown live on Fox SportsNet Florida.
Tampa Bay Lightning at Florida Panthers Odds
Florida (-115) is being picked as the favorite over Tampa Bay (-105) and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at 7 goals. The line for betting the total stands at -120 for the over and even money (+100) for the under.
The Panthers are 15-14 straight-up (SU) and have punished moneyline bettors to the tune of -0.7 units so far. That winning percentage, ranked 2nd in the Atlantic Division in this young season, is a welcome improvement over the 36-46 record from the 2018-19 season campaign. Of the team’s 29 games this season, 18 have gone over the total, while nine have gone under and just two have pushed. The team is 9-6 SU at home this season.
Florida’s been able to convert on 23.7 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a figure that’s good enough for seventh-best in the league. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked eighth overall, and it’s successfully killed off 84.9 percent of all penalties.
As a collective unit, Florida has been whistled for penalties just 3.0 times per game overall this season, 3.2 per game over its past five games total, and 3.0 per game over its last five at home. The team’s had to kill penalties for just 6.0 minutes per game over its last 10 outings, overall.
Averaging 25.0 saves per game with a .893 save percentage, Sergei Bobrovsky (12-11-4) has been the primary option in goal for the Panthers this season. If they decide to give him a breather, however, head coach Joel Quenneville might roll with Sam Montembeault (3-4-4 record, .889 save percentage, 3.31 goals against average).
The Panthers will continue looking for offensive production out of Aleksander Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau. Barkov (36 points) is up to 10 goals and 26 assists and has recorded two or more points 12 times this year. Huberdeau has 11 goals and 25 assists to his name and has notched a point in 21 contests.
On the other hand, Tampa Bay is 14-14 straight up (SU) and has lost 7.5 units for moneyline bettors this year. A total of 17 of its outings have gone over the total, while 10 have gone under the total and none have pushed. As the visiting team , Tampa Bay is 7-7 SU.
Tampa Bay currently has the third-best power-play unit in the NHL, as it’s converted on 28.7 percent of its extra-man advantages in 2019-20. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 21st overall and it’s successfully defended 78.9 percent of all penalties.
Tampa Bay’s players have been whistled for penalties 4.3 times per game this season, and 3.6 per game over their last five on the road. The team has been forced to kill penalties 8.6 minutes per game over their last five road outings.
Andrei Vasilevskiy (28.3 saves per game) has been the primary option in goal for Tampa Bay. Vasilevskiy has 11 wins, nine losses, and one overtime loss to his credit, while registering a .907 save percentage and 2.91 goals against average this year.
For the visiting Lightning, the offense will be heavily coordinated by Nikita Kucherov (10 goals, 21 assists) and Victor Hedman (seven goals, 20 assists).
Tampa Bay Lightning at Florida Panthers Betting Predictions
Free Prediction: SU Winner – Lightning, O/U – Over
Betting Notes
- Florida (3-3 in shootouts this season) has more experience in games decided by shootout. Tampa Bay emerged victorious in its one shootout this season.
- The total has gone under in three of Florida’s last five games.
- Tampa Bay has managed 29.6 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while Florida has been attempting 35.6 shots per game over its last five at home.
- Over Tampa Bay’s last ten games, five of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 4-1 in those games).
- Tampa Bay skaters have given out the league’s 10th-most hits per game (23.3).
