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Panthers vs. Lightning Predictions & Odds: Thursday's NHL Playoffs Expert Picks

Gary Pearson

Last Updated: April 25, 2024 4:15 PM EDT • 3 min 14 sec read.

Matthew Tkachuk is congratulated by Carter Verhaeghe after he scored an empty-net goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning as we make our expert prop picks and predictions for Game 3 of the Florida Panthers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning first-round series.
Matthew Tkachuk is congratulated by Carter Verhaeghe after he scored an empty-net goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 1 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Amerant Bank Arena on April 21, 2024 in Sunrise, Florida. Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images/AFP via AFP

Down 2-0 in the series, the Tampa Bay Lightning look to get back on track when they host the Florida Panthers for Game 3 on Thursday, as we offer our Panthers vs. Lightning predictions and expert picks based on the best NHL odds. 

The Tampa Bay Lightning (45-29-8) narrowly missed seizing home-ice advantage in Game 2 against the Florida Panthers (52-24-6), despite being outshot 37-23. Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky's remarkable save in the dying moments proved crucial, securing Florida's second consecutive 3-2 victory, this time in overtime.

As the series relocates to Tampa Bay for Game 3, the Lightning are favored at -115 according to our best sports betting sites. The puck is set to drop at 7 p.m. ET (TBS) at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla.

Counting on their home crowd to ignite their offense, the Lightning aim to rebound from recent struggles, having scored just two goals in five of their last six games. The support of their fans could provide the spark they need to regain momentum in the series.

Accompanying our Carolina Hurricanes vs. New York Islanders predictions, here are our best Panthers vs. Lightning player props and NHL picks (odds via our best NHL betting sites; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

Panthers vs. Lightning Game 3 player props

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Panthers vs. Lightning prop bet predictions for Thursday

Sam Reinhart Over 2.5 shots ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Sam Reinhart is a shooting machine against the Lightning. He has 24 shots in the last five games against Tampa Bay, an average of 4.8 per contest. Reinhart had five shots in Game 1 and six in Game 2. Don't worry too much about the potential for a drop-off on the road, as Reinhart had seven shots in the two regular-season games at Amalie Arena.

At -128, FanDuel offers by far the best value on this prop. Lock it in while it's still at -128, as this line will almost assuredly shorten. Expect it to shorten in the next 24 hours, more closely aligning with the rest of our best sports betting sites. DraftKings and bet365 offer -160, while Caesars offers -161. A winning $10 bet at -128 pays a profit of $7.81 and implies a 56.14% probability. 

Best odds: -128 via FanDuel

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Nikita Kucherov Over 1.5 points ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Will the regular-season Nikita Kucherov please skate forward?

Admittedly, there's absolutely no chance Kucherov scores at his otherworldly regular-season rate against the NHL's stingiest defense in the playoffs. However, if the Lightning intend to make this a series, Kucherov must have an instrumental impact on Game 3.

He had an assist in Games 1 and 2 but will need to be much more potent at home on Thursday. At +110, DraftKings offers the best value. A winning $10 wager pays a profit of $11 and has a 47.62% implied probability.

Best odds: +110 via DraftKings

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Lightning ML vs. Panthers ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Lightning already find themselves in a must-win situation. They've lost four of the last five against their pesky Atlantic Division rivals and must find a way to stop the rot. They had an opportunity to win both games in Florida despite being heavily outshot and out-chanced. 

There's still a ton of playoff experience and winning pedigree in the locker room of the recent back-to-back Stanley Cup winners.

Though our Eastern Conference predictions don't have the Lightning winning the series, it's hard to conceive of them going down with a whimper.

BetMGM offers -110 for the Lightning to win Game 3, the best value of our best sports betting apps. A $10 winning bet yields a $9.09 profit. The -110 odds imply a 52.38% probability. 

Best odds: -110 via BetMGM

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Panthers vs. Lightning Game 3 info & odds

  • When: Thursday, April 25, 7 p.m. ET
  • Where: Amalie Arena, Tampa Bay, Fla.
  • How to watch: TBS, SportsNet, and TVAS
  • Favorite: Lightning (-110 via BetMGM)

Panthers-Lightning player props made Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. ET.

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Written By:
Gary Pearson
Gary Pearson is a sports writer specializing in hockey, soccer, NFL, and tennis coverage. He has 10 years of industry experience and has contributed to various publications, including BetMGM, Covers.com, the Hockey Writers, Yardbarker, NJ.com, the Miami Herald, the Canadian Press, and the Calgary Herald.