Tampa Bay Lightning - Florida Panthers predictions and free betting tips [27/04/2024]

The Tampa Bay Lightning and the Florida Panthers will go head-to-head in today's fourth NHL Eastern Conference first-round playoff match.

Tampa Bay Lightning

In the current playoffs, Tampa Bay Lightning have been met with serious challenges, particularly in their defence, conceding 11 points in the first three games of the series. Despite numerous power-play opportunities in Game 1, the Lightning fell to Florida 5-4, unable to capitalise on their chances. Their usual strong power-play game has proved ineffective in this series, with a success rate of only 16.7%. Team leaders Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos continue to show outstanding performance, but their efforts have proven to be insufficient for victories. Kucherov has amassed 144 points this season, including 44 goals and 100 assists, while Stamkos has added 81 points. Tampa's goaltending lineup is also struggling, with Andrei Vasilevskiy's less than rock-solid performance hampering the team's chances in the series.

Tampa has lost 6 of their last 7 games, accounting for the end of the regular season, with their single victory against the Maple Leafs in the final regular-season game. Their power-play efficacy has dropped to 16.7%, penalty kill to 71.4%--figures calling for immediate improvement. Should Tampa Bay fail to invigorate their special teams and defence play in the next game, their season could come to a rapid close. One can only hope that the coaching team led by Jon Cooper will find a way to steady their game and utilise their strengths at this critical juncture in the series.

Florida Panthers

The Florida Panthers are on the brink of concluding the Eastern Conference first-round playoff series. In their most recent game, they claimed a 5-3 victory over Tampa Bay Lightning, giving them a 3-0 series lead. Matthew Tkachuk played a pivotal role, scoring the match's opening goal, bringing his total to 29 points in the last 23 playoff games. Nick Cousins, Steven Lorentz, and Kyle Okposo also significantly contributed. This trio provided one goal and 3 assists, helping their team take the reins.

Lorentz, replacing injured Sam Bennett, scored the match-winning goal after receiving a pass from Cousins. This goal marked Lorentz's first career playoff goal. Okposo also shone, playing a key role in Montour's goal, which marked his first postseason point in 8 years. The Florida Panthers have shown excellent performance in previous matches as well, winning the first two home games 3-2. In the third game, they flipped the game on its head after being down 1-2 in the second period, thanks to Bobrovsky's standout saves and their proactive offense, Panthers managed to net all four penalty shots.

The team's leaders have also been performing impressively: Sam Reinhart leads with 94 points, including 57 goals and 37 assists. Aleksander Barkov has tallied 80 points with 23 goals and 57 assists. Carter Verhaeghe has 72 points to his name, and Matthew Tkachuk stands at 88 points with 62 assists. Bobrovsky capped off his season with 36-17-4 results, 2.37 GAA, and a save percentage of 91.5%.

Prediction for Tampa Bay Lightning - Florida Panthers

I find it hard to believe that the NHL champions, boasting the top regular-season player Nikita Kucherov, would lose the first-round series 4-0. The Panthers aren't significantly stronger, and have had a decent share of luck. I believe that the Lightning will manage to secure at least one match at home.