Florida Panthers at Tampa Bay Lightning Game 4 odds, picks and predictions
The Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning meet in Game 4 of a best-of-7 Eastern Conference, 1st-round series Thursday. The Panthers lead the series 3-0. Puck drop from Amalie Arena is set for 5 p.m. ET (TBS). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook's lines around the Panthers vs. Lightning odds, and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
The Panthers dominated the Bolts in Game 3 with a 5-3 win and took a commanding 3-0 lead. LW Matthew Tkachuk netted 2 goals to give him 3 in the series. Florida has now won 7 of the last 8 meetings and put Tampa's winning window at risk of closing.
The Lightning are just 2 for 12 on the power play in the series. RW Nikita Kucherov was a little more noticeable with 4 shots in Game 3 after just 3 SOG in the first 2 games, but he has no goals and 3 assists in the series. He just hasn't delivered what the team needs thus far. The Lightning still have a chance to make it interesting as they were 25-11-5 on home ice this season.
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Panthers at Lightning odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 11:45 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Panthers -125 (bet $125 to win $100) | Lightning +105 (bet $100 to win $105)
- Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Panthers -1.5 (+195) | Lightning +1.5 (-250)
- Over/Under (O/U): 6 (O: -120 | U: +100)
Panthers at Lightning projected goalies
Sergei Bobrovsky (36-17-4, 2.37 GAA, .915 SV%, 6 SO) vs. Andrei Vasilevskiy (30-20-2, 2.90 GAA, .900 SV%, 2 SO)
Bob has allowed 7 goals on 71 shots in the series to give him a 2.30 GAA and .901 SV%. The 3 goals that were netted in Game 3 were the most he has allowed in the last 5 games. The defense in front of him has been smothering, and they've kept the league-best power play (28.6%) to just 16.7%.
Vassy has regressed as the series has gone along, allowing 2, 3 and 4 goals, respectively. He stopped 26 of 30 shots in Game 3. He hasn't looked the same all season, and that's likely due to missing the early part due to back surgery. He's still just 29 and has the ability to shut down a team at any point.
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Panthers at Lightning picks and predictions
Prediction
Panthers 4, Lightning 2
Moneyline
This series ended in Game 3 as the Panthers are just too much for this Lightning squad. Kucherov just hasn't been the game-breaking player he was during the regular season.
Take the PANTHERS -125 to complete the sweep.
Puck line/Against the spread
I don't like either side of the puck line here.
We're targeting MATTHEW TKACHUK OVER 3.5 SHOTS (-105) here, as he has 4+ shots in all 3 games in the series and in 5 straight overall. He sniffs blood and will continue applying pressure.
Over/Under
We've had 3-2, 3-2 and 5-3 finishes in the series, and I'm pegging this one to push. If it comes down to 5.5, I plan to hit the Over. Until then, though, the books have this one mapped out well.
PASS.
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