Home ice is on the line as the Tampa Bay Lightning take on the Florida Panthers in the final game of the regular season for both teams. The in-state rivals are set to face off in the first round of the playoffs for the first time ever. If Tampa wins in regulation on Monday night, they get home ice. If the Panthers get a single point, home ice is theirs. The Panthers have won four of seven prior matchups this year.
- Date/Time: May 10, 7 p.m. ET
- Arena: BB&T Center
- TV Coverage: NBC
- Sportsbook Odds: Lightning -137 | O/U 6 (Line History)
- Lightning vs Panthers Matchup Report
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
The game opened with the Lightning favored at -137 and the line has shifted in the Panthers’ favor and can now be found in the -114 to -125 range. The total opened at 6 and can be found at either 5.5 or 6 depending on the sportsbook.
Tampa Bay News & Notes
The Lightning hope to fare a little better in the final regular-season meeting with the Panthers than they did on Saturday night in a 5-1 loss. The Lightning were outshot and had fewer high-danger chances in the game at even strength, allowing four even-strength goals in the process.
The Lightning have been outscored 10-4 by the Panthers in their last two meetings and find themselves heading into the postseason on a bit of a cold streak. Since April 1, only seven teams have fewer high-danger scoring chances at even strength than the Bolts. They have also allowed the seventh-most goals at even strength with 46 in that span while only scoring 39.
More injuries have started to creep into the Lightning lineup as well, as top defensemen Victor Hedman and Ryan McDonagh are both questionable for Monday’s game with lower- and upper-body injuries, respectively.
Florida News & Notes
While the Lightning have struggled since April Fools’ Day, the Florida Panthers have thrived. The Panthers rank sixth in the NHL in even-strength goals since April 1 and are seventh in goals for percentage at evens. They also have the fifth-most expected goals and the 10th-most high-danger chances in that span.
The team is led by young stars Jonathan Huberdeau and Aleksander Barkov. Huberdeau is tied for ninth in league scoring with 20 goals and 61 points in 55 games while Barkov has 26 goals and 57 points in 49 games.
The goaltending situation will be one to watch for the Panthers as starter Sergei Bobrovsky has been up-and-down with a .906 save percentage and 19-8-2 record while Chris Driedger has a .923 save percentage and is 13-6-3 but hasn’t played since April 26 due to a lower-body injury.
Betting Pick: Panthers -125
The juice coming in heavy on the Panthers and flipping the line away from Tampa as the favorite is likely related to the status of Hedman and McDonagh, combined with Florida’s big win on Saturday night. You won’t get an argument from us as we see Florida as the rightful favorite in this game.
Want more Expert Betting Picks?
Check out the best sports handicapping services on the market today!
Buy Sports Picks Now- Tampa Bay is 6-3 in its last 9 games.
- The OVER is 4-1 in Florida’s last 5 games.
- Tampa Bay is 12-5 in its last 17 games vs Florida.
