The Florida Panthers (13-10-4) travel to take on the Tampa Bay Lightning (16-9-1) at Amalie Arena on Saturday. Florida is coming off a 5-1 win over the Red Wings on Thursday. The Panthers committed four penalties in the game, conceding one power play goal. Five players found the net for the Panthers. Matthew Tkachuk scored and provided an assist to lead the team in scoring.
Sergei Bobrovsky saved an impressive 19 of 20 shots (.950%) in the win. Tampa Bay beat the Predators 5-2 on Thursday. Brayden Point scored twice to lead the Lightning. Brian Elliott saved 34 of 36 shots in the win (.944%).
HEAD TO HEAD
The Lightning won the first meeting between the teams this season, a 3-2 (OT) victory in October, their sixth straight win against Florida. Point (2G 0A), Steven Stamkos (1G 1A), and Nikita Kucherov (0G 2A) each had two points to lead Tampa Bay. Tkachuk (1G 1A) and Brandon Montour (0G 2A) each had two points to lead Florida. Andrei Vasilevskiy got the win, saving 36 of 38 shots (.947%).
FACING OFF
Florida is averaging 3.48 goals per game for the season, ninth in the NHL, and they are taking on a Lightning team that is allowing 3.08 goals a game (14th). Meanwhile, Tampa Bay has found the net 3.50 times a game on average, eighth in the league, and the Panthers are allowing opponents to score 3.26 goals per game (20th).
Florida averages more shots a game (38.3) than any other team in the league, though the team’s 9.2% shooting percentage ranks 25th. Tampa Bay’s average of 31.7 attempts ranks 16th.
Don’t be surprised to see several power play opportunities for the Lightning, as the Panthers are averaging 4.78 penalties per game, fifth-most in the NHL.
The visitors’ 10.70 penalty minutes a game ranks 12th-highest. The home team has been penalized 4.35 times a game (9th) for an average of 10.23 minutes (13th).
The Lightning’s 28.87% power play percentage is the fourth-best in the league, while the Panthers rank 24th with a conversion rate of 19.61%. In terms of defending power plays, Tampa Bay has the league’s 14th-ranked PK% at 78.65%, while Florida is 19th at 76.47%.
TOP PERFORMERS:
With 37 points this season, eighth-most in the NHL, Tkachuk is the top skater for the Panthers. He is among the league leaders with 24 assists (9th) and has added 13 goals of his own. In the net, Spencer Knight (8-4-3) is Florida’s top goaltender by goals against average.
He has a 2.64 GAA and a .919% save percentage. Kucherov leads the Lightning in scoring with 38 points (5th in the league). He has 11 goals and 27 assists (3rd). Vasilevskiy (10-8-1) is the top goalie for Tampa Bay with a goals against average of 2.75. He has a save percentage of .909%.
HOME AND AWAY
Florida is 6-8-1 away from FLA Live Arena this season. Tampa Bay is 9-4-1 at Amalie Arena this season.
SportsTips’ NHL Pick:
TB Lightning (-135)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
