The Tampa Bay Lightning (35-25-6) travel to face off against the Florida Panthers (45-18-4) on Saturday, March 16th. This game will be played at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise and televised on ESPN+. The Lightning are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Panthers are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Hurricanes. Puck drop is set for 6:00 ET.

Lightning vs Panthers

The Tampa Bay Lightning Are Coming Off A Win

As the 6th-ranked team in the Eastern Conference, the Lightning have a record of 35-25-6 and have gone 5-5 in their last ten games. On the road, Tampa Bay has gone 14-16-2 this season and has won two straight games.

Overall, the Lightning have been the underdog in 27 of their 66 games and have gone 11-12-4 in those matchups. Against other teams in the Atlantic Division, Tampa Bay has gone 7-11 this season.

On the season, Tampa Bay has gone 33-33 against the puck line, including a road mark of 14-18. They have won 25 games by multiple goals, compared to just 10 by one goal.

Over their last ten games, the Lightning’s puck line record is 4-6, and their average scoring margin on the road is -.6 goals per game. In their last ten road games, their puck line record is 6-4.

In their last game, the Lightning were the hosts against the Rangers, and they came away with a 6-3 win. The first period saw the Lightning being held without a goal, but they turned things around offensively by scoring two times in the second period and four goals in the third. Tampa Bay’s one power-play goals contributed to their total of 6 goals. Their offensive performance came with 28 shots on goal and five giveaways.

Despite being the underdog, Tampa Bay managed to secure a win against the puck line in the game. The over/under line going into the game was 6 goals, which the teams surpassed with their combined 9 goals.

The Florida Panthers Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

With just 15 games remaining in their regular season, the Panthers are sitting in first place in the Eastern Conference and the Atlantic Division. They have a record of 45-18-4 on the year, and they are 26-10 against other teams in the East.

At home, Florida is 21-9-2 this year, and they come into tonight’s game having won eight of their last ten games. Over their last five games, the Panthers are 3-2, and they have gone 2-1 in their last three games.

Florida comes into the game with an average scoring margin of +.9 goals per game. Their puck line record for the season is 34-33, and they have 28 wins by multiple goals.

So far this season, the Panthers have been favored in 54 games, going 24-30 against the puck line in those games. Their average scoring margin at home is +.6 goals per game, and their home puck line record is 11-21.

The Panthers aim to bounce back following their 4-0 loss on the road to the Hurricanes. Facing the Carolina defense, the Panthers were shutout. The Panthers’ offense finished with 9 giveaways and attempted 21 shots on goal during the game.

Coming in as the underdog, Florida not only lost straight-up but also failed to cover the puck line. With a combined total of 4 goals, the game concluded below the over/under line of 5.5.

Tampa Bay Offense Breakdown

The Lightning come into the game scoring an average of 3.4 goals per game, putting them 5th in the NHL. Regarding shots targeted at the goal per game, they are 22nd in the league. Coming into the game, the Lightning have a 21-12 record when they have more shots on goal than their opponent. When they have fewer shots on goal, they are 13-11.

This season, the over/under record for the Lightning’s is 32-30-4. Over the course of the season, they have had 34 games that exceeded the over/under line of 6.5. On average, their games are averaging 6.8 goals per game.

Panthers Offense Breakdown

In terms of their offensive performance, the Panthers are averaging 3.3 goals per game this season, putting them in the 10th spot in the NHL. When it comes to shots on goal per game, they are ranked 1st in the league. In terms of power play goals, the Panthers offense is 2nd in power play goals. As for shorthanded goals, they are 16th in the NHL.

The Panthers come in with an over/under record of 24-40-3. Over the course of the season, they have had 44 games failing to surpass the 6.5 goal over/under line. The average number of goals in their games is at 5.7 per game.

Tampa Bay Team Defense

Defensively, the Lightning come into the season ranked 26th in goals allowed. Opponents are averaging 29.2 shots per game against Tampa Bay. For the season, they are ranked 10th in shutouts, coming in with 4 shutouts.

Florida Team Defense

Defensively, the Panthers come into the season ranked 28th in goals allowed. Opponents are averaging 27.7 shots per game against Florida. For the season, they are ranked 8th in shutouts, coming in with 5 shutouts.

Lightning vs Panthers Trends

• Tampa Bay has played well in their previous three road games, going 2-1 straight up. In this stretch, they averaged 3 goals per game while allowing 3. The team also performed well vs the puck line at 2-1.
• Through their last five home contests, the Panthers offense has averaged 3 goals per game while allowing an average of 2. Florida posted an overall record of 4-1 while going 1-4 ATS.
• Spanning across their last ten games as the betting underdog, the Panthers have gone 9-1 vs the spread. Their overall record in these games was 5-5.
• Going back to their last ten games as the favorite, the Lightning have a straight up record of 5-5. But, their mark vs the puck line was just 4-6.

Lightning vs Panthers Prediction

When it comes to a moneyline wager, I’m going with the Lightning to defeat the Panthers while playing on the road. Given the current moneyline odds at +140, I’m placing a wager on the Lightning to win outright.

If you’re looking to get a bet down on this matchup, we foresee the Lightning winning the underdog. However, if you’re not as confident in the Lightning straight-up, we’d still recommend placing a bet on them to cover the puck line.

With an over/under line sitting at 6.5 goals, we like this game to surpass that mark and recommend getting a bet down on the over.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.