The Florida Panthers will travel to Tampa, Florida to face the Tampa Bay Lightning at the Amalie Arena for Game 3 of the 1st round series in the Eastern Conference of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs with the game scheduled to start at 7:00 PM ET on Thursday evening and will air on TBS, Max, Bally Sports Sun, Bally Sports Florida, and Root Sports North.
Florida Panthers Team Preview
The Florida Panthers enter this game with the 2-0 series lead following Tuesday's 3-2 overtime win at home in Game 2 of the series which also extended their winning streak to six games and was their 7th win in their last eight games.
The Panthers have won by an average margin of 2 goals per game during their winning streak, however, the first two games of the series have been tightly contested and have only been decided by a goal in both contests. Florida has won six of the last ten including four of the five meetings this season while having won by an average margin of 1.6 goals per game in the meetings this season.
The Panthers have struggled on the road lately as they have lost five of their last seven games on the road. The Florida Panthers will look to take a commanding 3-0 series lead in the series when they travel to face the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 3 of the 1st round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Tampa Bay Lightning Team Preview
The Tampa Bay Lightning have been held to two goals per game in the series against the Florida Panthers which is well under their 3.53 goals per game average on the year. The 2024 Art Ross Trophy winner, Nikita Kucherov, has recorded two assists in the series, however, Kucherov only has four shots on goal total in the series.
If the Lightning are going to come back in the series they are going to need more production from Kucherov to accomplish that feat. The Lightning have also lost five of their last six games this season and have lost by an average margin of .67 goals per game during that stretch.
Tampa Bay has also struggled this season against Florida as they have lost four of the five meetings this season and have lost by an average margin of 1.6 goals per game while also having lost both games of the series at home by an average margin of 4 goals per game including the most recent loss in the series by a score of 2-9.
The Tampa Bay Lightning will look to end their two-game losing streak in the series and avoid falling into a 0-3 series hole when they host the Florida Panthers for Game 3 of the series on Thursday evening.
Odds and Series Trends
BetNow has the Tampa Bay Lightning listed as -114 moneyline favorites at home against the Florida Panthers for Game 3 of the series on Thursday evening. Florida has won six of the last ten including four of the five meetings this season while also having won by an average margin of 1.6 goals per game this season and 1.1 goals per game over the previous ten games in the series. The Panthers have won by an average margin of 4 goals per game on the road in the series against the Lightning this season.
Game Pick
Florida finished the season with the 2nd best record in the NHL and has dominated in the series against Tampa Bay this season, winning four of the five meetings this season and by an average margin of 1.6 goals per game this season and 4 goals per game on the road. As a result, I am taking the moneyline for the Florida Panthers at -102 when they travel to face the Tampa Bay Lightning for Game 3 of the series on Thursday evening.
Spooky Express Pick: Florida Panthers Moneyline (-102)
