The Lightning dropped Game 1 to the Panthers on Tuesday and will be looking to even the series at home tonight. On DraftKings Sportsbook, Tampa Bay is a -125 favorite on the Moneyline and the game total is set at O/U 5.5 goals. Sergei Bobrovsky will start in net for the Panthers with Andrei Vasilevskiy on the other end for the Lightning.
See below for a quick breakdown and my best bet on DraftKings Sportsbook for tonight’s Game 2 matchup between the Lightning and Panthers.
Lightning vs. Panthers preview, prediction
Game 1 was an uncharacteristic game for Andrei Vasilevskiy, who allowed six goals on just 16 shots. Matthew Tkachuk returned to the Panthers lineup for the first time since the 4 Nations break and didn’t miss a step, totaling two power play goals and an assist. It was an all-around team effort for the defending Cup champions, going 3-for-3 on the power play and 2-for-3 on the penalty kill against Tampa Bay’s fifth-ranked power play unit.
The Lightning are more than capable of exploding offensively, ranking first in goals per game and third in 5v5 goal percentage during the regular season. In their two regular-season wins against the Panthers, they out-scored them, 9 to 1. I’m expecting a bit more juice from Tampa Bay in this one, especially a well-rounded game from Vasilevskiy. If the Bolts find themselves down 0-2 in the series heading into Florida for the next two games, they could be in big trouble.
Tampa Bay was a strong home team during the regular season and Florida barely finished above .500 on the road, so this is a great bounceback spot. It’s highly unlikely that the Panthers net six goals on only 16 attempts again and I’d expect the Bolts to match the Panthers’ physicality a bit better this time around.
Lightning vs. Panthers pick, best bet
As hard as it is betting against the defending champions, the Lightning are built to withstand a team like the Panthers. The potential for a bounceback after a very uncharacteristic game from Vasilevskiy is real. Tampa Bay showed it can keep up with Florida during the regular season and fields a deadly offensive attack. Despite the loss in Game 1, the Lightning’s playmakers still showed up on the stat sheet. Perhaps the lucky bounces and power play opportunities will work in Tampa Bay’s favor this time rather than Florida’s.
Best Bet: TB Lightning Moneyline (-125)
