The battle of Florida will bring the third installment to fans as the Florida Panthers visit their in-state rivals, the Tampa Bay Lightning, for Game 3 of this best of seven series. The Lightning took the first two games on the road and are coming back home with a commanding 2-0 series lead.
Expect this new installment of the Florida rivalry to bring new fireworks as the tension increases with every passing game. Puck drop for this game on Sunday is scheduled for 1:30 PM Eastern Time on TNT.
Last Game Records
Florida Panthers
- Last Game: lost 2-1 to the Lightning
- Regular Season Record: 58-18-6
Tampa Bay Lightning
- Last Game: won 2-1 against Florida
- Regular Season Record: 51-23-8
Matchup Information
Panthers at Lightning Betting Analysis
Florida Panthers Betting Analysis
The Florida Panthers find themselves with their backs up against the wall. At the beginning of the postseason, Florida was one of the top NHL expert picks to win the Stanley Cup. The president’s trophy winners, unfortunately, find themselves with a steep mountain to climb in the first round.
Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky has played stellar this postseason. In their Game 2 defeat, Bobrovsky posted a .929 save percentage. Needless to say, he did everything he could to keep his team in the game.
The Panthers were unable to score as they did in the regular season. They will be sure to lean heavily on their star forward, Jonathan Huberdeau, who has one goal and three assists so far in the playoffs. If Florida wants to win this rivalry series, they will need to get the scoring they had through their 82 games in the regular season.
Tampa Bay Lightning Betting Analysis
The Lightning are at it again! Tampa has found their swagger back and finds themselves with a commanding 2-0 series lead heading back home. The two-time defending champions have once again proven why they are one of the top NHL betting picks in the postseason.
Their elite goaltender has proven once again he is always ready to step up when needed. Andrei Vasilevskiy has posted a .916 save percentage this postseason and has continued to make that statistic rise every game.
Their captain, Steven Stamkos, has proven why he is the leader of this team. He is making his presence known in all areas on the ice and outside of the scoresheet. His ability to block shots helps Tampa’s defensive strategy take hold of this series.
Updates
Florida Panthers
- Bobrovsky has a .906 save percentage this postseason
- Aleksander Barkov has two goals and four assists these playoffs
- Winger Mason Marchment is questionable Sunday with a lower-body injury
Tampa Bay Lightning
- Forward Brandon Hagel is questionable Sunday with a lower-body injury
- Star forward Brayden Point is questionable for Game 3
- Stamkos has two goals and four assists this postseason
Panthers at Lightning Betting Preview
Game 3 in this Florida series is a critical game for the Panthers. The following are the NHL betting odds for Sunday’s contest.
On the puck line, the Panthers are -1.5 with +200 odds, while the Lightning are +1.5 with -240 odds. The Moneyline has Florida as the favorite for Game 3 with -115 odds, while Tampa has -105 odds.
The over/under for Game 3 has a total goal limit of 6.5 goals. The over odds are +100 while the under odds are -120. The NHL betting stats show that this game is going to be an even battle between these two bitter rivals.
Panthers at Lightning Betting Prediction
The Tampa Bay Lightning have been the more consistent team through the first two games of this series. They have the depth on their roster, and the plethora of playoff experience can’t be unmatched.
Head Coach, Jon Cooper, has developed a tremendous game plan that has stalled the Panthers’ offense. While the Panthers may score more than one goal in Game 3, the Lightning will continue their dominant performance over their in-state rivals.
Pick the Tampa Bay Lightning to win Game 3 with their -105 odds on the Moneyline.
How to bet on Panthers at Lightning
A $100 bet on the Panthers to cover the -1.5 puck line would win the player $200, while the same bet on the Lightning with their -240 odds would win $41.67. If someone were to bet $100 on the over, they would receive $100 in winnings, while the same bet for the under would bring back $83.33 in winnings.
On the Moneyline, a $100 bet on the Panthers to win would return $86.96 in winnings, while the same bet on the Lightning with -105 odds would give the winner $95.24.
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