This series is close to being over after the Tampa Bay Lightning decimated the Florida Panthers 5-1 in Game 3. The Lightning now have a chance to close out the series on home ice and sweep the Panthers simultaneously.
NHL betting lines have the Lightning as slight favorites.
Below are NHL betting picks and analysis for the Monday matchup.
Panthers vs. Lightning Odds, Moneyline, Over/Under
Moneyline: Panthers +105 | Lightning -125
Spread: Panthers +1.5 (-250) | Lightning -1.5 (+190)
Total: Over 6 (-125) | Under 6 (+105)
Panthers vs. Lightning Analysis
Corey Perry scored the Lightning’s first goal for a third straight game, opening the scoring of Game 3. Erik Cernak had the unlikely game-winner at the start of the second period, and then the defense went to work.
Nikita Kucherov had a goal and Steven Stamkos added two more. Andrei Vasilevskiy was practically unbeatable, saving 34 of 35 shots. Tampa Bay did a solid job of blocking shots again, getting in front of 19 of them.
Kucherov had his fourth career four-point game in the playoffs, which leads all active NHL players. His 19th playoff game with three or more points trails only five players in NHL history, Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Jari Kurri, Denis Savard, and Jaromir Jagr.
Meanwhile, Sam Reinhart had the Panthers’ only goal, evening the score on the powerplay. Jonathan Huberdeau and Aleksander Barkov both picked up an assist, but they couldn’t solve Vasilevskiy after that.
Florida outhit Tampa 45-33 and won six more face-offs. The Panthers had statistical wins throughout the game but couldn’t get the job done. Sergei Bobrovsky was fine, stopping 31 of 34 shots, but he’s not standing toe-to-toe with Vasilevskiy.
Against the puck line, Florida is 44-47 and 20-25 on the road, while Tampa Bay is 45-47 and 20-25 at home. A couple of trends to watch are the under is 4-0 in the Panthers’ past four following a loss of three or more goals, while the under is 4-0 in the Lightning’s past four overall.
Even though the Panthers are statistically succeeding in several vital parts of the game, it’s impossible to recommend a wager on them. The Cats aren’t just losing; they are flat-out unable to score. Florida led the league in goals per game during the regular season with 4.11, but they’ve only scored three total in this series.
The Panthers’ offense could suddenly wake up, and they could win Game 4, but at this point, that doesn’t look likely.
Panthers vs. Lightning Predictions
The Picks: Lightning moneyline (-125), Under 6 (+105)
NHL Parlay Picks at BetMGM
BetMGM has you covered not only during the Stanley Cup playoffs, but throughout the NHL season. But the NHL playoffs are the perfect time for making NHL parlay picks in between examining the latest Stanley Cup betting odds.
