The Panthers advanced beyond the first-round of the playoff for the first time in 26 years by knocking off the Washington Capitals in six games, while the Lightning claimed a ninth straight playoff series win with a thrilling 2-1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 7 of their first-round matchup.

The Lightning lag as +136 underdogs despite garnering the support of 54 per cent of sports bettors. The two-time defending Stanley Cup champions also enter Game 1 as +121 underdogs on the NHL playoff series prices. The NHL’s best team on home ice during the regular season, Florida has emerged as a -163 favourite on the Game 1 odds, and is -149 chalk to claim the series win. The total is pegged at 6.5, with the OVER sporting strong -130 odds.

Lightning vs. Panthers NHL Betting Odds

Tuesday night’s matchup at FLA Live Arena marks the fifth overall meeting of the season between these Atlantic Division rivals. These clubs split their four-game season series, with each claiming one win on the road. The Lightning bounced Florida from the playoffs last year, claiming their first round matchup in just six games. However, neither team has dominated head-to-head. Each club has earned nine wins in 18 overall meetings since the beginning of last season, with the Panthers winning five of nine home contests over that stretch. These teams combined to score 24 total goals over their two most recent clashes, snapping a 4-0-0 run for the UNDER in totals betting.

#NHL Round 2 – Betting w/ Bastl#GoBolts Vs. #TimeToHunt#stlblues Vs. #GoAvsGo#NYR Vs. #LetsGoCanes #LetaGoOilers Vs. #Flames

All series predictions, play McDavid vs. Gaudreau player

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Tampa Bay Lightning

The Lightning sealed their first round victory with a pair of wins in Toronto. However, they have struggled to maintain consistency on the road, losing 10 of 18 since early March, and have been limited to three or fewer goals on 12 occasions over that stretch. Brayden Point’s status for Game 1 remains uncertain after he suffered a leg injury during Game 7 in Toronto. Point has played a huge role in Tampa Bay’s recent playoff success, tallying 60 points over his past 53 postseason appearances. He also racked up four goals and five points in five regular season appearances against Florida.

Florida Panthers

With little to play for, the Panthers lost three of their final four regular season games. The club also lost two of their first three opening-round meetings with the Capitals before rebounding with three straight victories to clinch the series win. Florida now rides its first two-game home win streak in playoff action since 2012. More importantly, the Panthers have averaged 3.87 goals per game over their past 15 home meetings with the Bolts. But can they maintain that momentum against a Lightning squad that showed steady improvement on defence as the first-round progressed? Carter Verhaeghe provided an unexpected spark, scoring five goals and nine points over the club’s three straight wins against Washington. However, he was limited to just three points in last season’s playoff series loss to the Lightning, and failed to score in three dates with Tampa Bay this season.

NHL Prediction: Who Will Win Lightning vs. Panthers?

• Regular Season
• Playoffs

Lightning Team Leaders

TB

Points	Steven Stamkos 106
+ / -	Victor Hedman 26
Shots	Steven Stamkos 241
Penalty Mins	Pat Maroon 134
Wins	Andrei Vasilevskiy 39
GAA	Brian Elliott 2.43

FLA

Points	Jonathan Huberdeau 115
+ / -	Gustav Forsling 41
Shots	Sam Bennett 241
Penalty Mins	Radko Gudas 105
Wins	Sergei Bobrovsky 39
GAA	Sergei Bobrovsky 2.67

TB

Points	Nikita Kucherov 27
+ / -	Ondrej Palat 10
Shots	Nikita Kucherov 77
Penalty Mins	Pat Maroon 32
Wins	Andrei Vasilevskiy 14
GAA	Andrei Vasilevskiy 2.52

FLA

Points	Carter Verhaeghe 12
+ / -	Carter Verhaeghe 7
Shots	Aleksander Barkov 38
Penalty Mins	Sam Bennett 12
Wins	Sergei Bobrovsky 4
GAA	Sergei Bobrovsky 2.7

• Regular Season
• Playoffs

Panthers Team Leaders

TB

Points	Steven Stamkos 106
+ / -	Victor Hedman 26
Shots	Steven Stamkos 241
Penalty Mins	Pat Maroon 134
Wins	Andrei Vasilevskiy 39
GAA	Brian Elliott 2.43

FLA

Points	Jonathan Huberdeau 115
+ / -	Gustav Forsling 41
Shots	Sam Bennett 241
Penalty Mins	Radko Gudas 105
Wins	Sergei Bobrovsky 39
GAA	Sergei Bobrovsky 2.67

TB

Points	Nikita Kucherov 27
+ / -	Ondrej Palat 10
Shots	Nikita Kucherov 77
Penalty Mins	Pat Maroon 32
Wins	Andrei Vasilevskiy 14
GAA	Andrei Vasilevskiy 2.52

FLA

Points	Carter Verhaeghe 12
+ / -	Carter Verhaeghe 7
Shots	Aleksander Barkov 38
Penalty Mins	Sam Bennett 12
Wins	Sergei Bobrovsky 4
GAA	Sergei Bobrovsky 2.7

Injuries

Tampa Bay

Erik Cernak (D)

Prob Fri Lower Body - 23 / 06 / 22

Anthony Cirelli (C)

Prob Fri Arm - 23 / 06 / 22

Nicholas Paul (LW)

Prob Wed Undisclosed - 22 / 06 / 22

Nikita Kucherov (RW)

Prob Wed Lower Body - 21 / 06 / 22

Brayden Point (C)

Ques Tues Leg - 20 / 06 / 22

Brandon Hagel (LW)

Ques Wed Flu - 15 / 06 / 22

Ryan McDonagh (D)

Prob Sat Undisclosed - 10 / 06 / 22

Corey Perry (RW)

Ques Thurs Undisclosed - 07 / 06 / 22

Brandon Hagel (LW)

Prob Wed Foot - 29 / 05 / 22

Brandon Hagel (LW)

Ques Sun Lower Body - 19 / 05 / 22

Florida

Carter Verhaeghe (C)

Ques Thurs Undisclosed - 19 / 05 / 22

Aaron Ekblad (D)

Prob Thurs Undisclosed - 15 / 05 / 22

Ben Chiarot (D)

Prob Thurs Undisclosed - 15 / 05 / 22

Carter Verhaeghe (C)

Ques Fri Undisclosed - 13 / 05 / 22

Mason Marchment (LW)

Ques Wed Lower Body - 11 / 05 / 22

Mason Marchment (LW)

Prob Tues Undisclosed - 01 / 05 / 22

Aleksander Barkov (C)

Out Fri Rest - 29 / 04 / 22

Mason Marchment (LW)

Out Fri Rest - 29 / 04 / 22

MacKenzie Weegar (D)

Out Fri Rest - 29 / 04 / 22

Claude Giroux (RW)

Out Fri Rest - 29 / 04 / 22

Injuries

Tampa Bay

player (position)	status		ats*current	o/u*	notes
Erik Cernak (D)	Prob Fri	Lower Body - 23 / 06 / 22	1-1	0-2	+ -
Cernak is nursing a lower-body ailment, but it is projected that he will face the Avalanche in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final.
Anthony Cirelli (C)	Prob Fri	Arm - 23 / 06 / 22	1-1	0-2	+ -
Cirelli is dealing with an arm injury, but it is anticipated that he will be available for Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final versus the Avalanche.
Nicholas Paul (LW)	Prob Wed	Undisclosed - 22 / 06 / 22	2-1	1-2	+ -
Paul is managing an unspecified issue, but he is expected to lace up for Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final versus the Avalanche.
Nikita Kucherov (RW)	Prob Wed	Lower Body - 21 / 06 / 22	2-1	1-2	+ -
Kucherov is nursing a lower-body injury, but it is anticipated that he will play against the Avalanche in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final.
Brayden Point (C)	Ques Tues	Leg - 20 / 06 / 22	2-2	2-2	+ -
Point is battling a right leg injury, and it is undetermined if he will dress for Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final versus the Avalanche.
Brandon Hagel (LW)	Ques Wed	Flu - 15 / 06 / 22	3-3	3-3	+ -
Hagel is bothered by flu-like symptoms, and it is uncertain if he will lace up against the Avalanche in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.
Ryan McDonagh (D)	Prob Sat	Undisclosed - 10 / 06 / 22	4-3	3-4	+ -
McDonagh is tending to an unknown injury, but it is projected that he will be available for Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Rangers.
Corey Perry (RW)	Ques Thurs	Undisclosed - 07 / 06 / 22	5-4	3-6	+ -
Perry is managing an unknown issue, and it is unclear if he will face the Rangers in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals.
Brandon Hagel (LW)	Prob Wed	Foot - 29 / 05 / 22	6-6	4-8	+ -
Hagel is dealing with a foot injury, but it is projected that he will be active against the Rangers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals.
Brandon Hagel (LW)	Ques Sun	Lower Body - 19 / 05 / 22	9-6	4-11	+ -
Hagel is dealing with a lower-body injury, and it is unclear if he will lace up against the Panthers in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference second round.

Florida

player (position)	status		ats*current	o/u*	notes
Carter Verhaeghe (C)	Ques Thurs	Undisclosed - 19 / 05 / 22	0-3	0-3	+ -
Verhaeghe is bothered by an undefined ailment, and it is up in the air if he will face the Lightning in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference second round.
Aaron Ekblad (D)	Prob Thurs	Undisclosed - 15 / 05 / 22	0-4	1-3	+ -
Ekblad is hampered by an unknown issue, but it is anticipated that he will be active against the Lightning in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference second round.
Ben Chiarot (D)	Prob Thurs	Undisclosed - 15 / 05 / 22	0-4	1-3	+ -
Chiarot is tending to an injury to an unlisted location, but he is expected to face the Lightning in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference second round.
Carter Verhaeghe (C)	Ques Fri	Undisclosed - 13 / 05 / 22	1-4	2-3	+ -
Verhaeghe is hindered by an injury to an unlisted location, and it remains to be seen if he will face the Capitals in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference first round.
Mason Marchment (LW)	Ques Wed	Lower Body - 11 / 05 / 22	1-5	2-4	+ -
Marchment is battling a lower-body issue, and it is unknown if he will play in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference second round versus the Lightning.
Mason Marchment (LW)	Prob Tues	Undisclosed - 01 / 05 / 22	2-8	4-6	+ -
Marchment is tending to an unspecified injury, but it is likely that he will face the Capitals in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference first round.
Aleksander Barkov (C)	Out Fri	Rest - 29 / 04 / 22	3-8	4-7	+ -
Barkov will not battle the Canadiens on Friday, as he will receive a day of rest.
Mason Marchment (LW)	Out Fri	Rest - 29 / 04 / 22	3-8	4-7	+ -
Marchment will not battle the Canadiens on Friday, as he will receive a day of rest.
MacKenzie Weegar (D)	Out Fri	Rest - 29 / 04 / 22	3-8	4-7	+ -
Weegar will not suit up Friday versus the Canadiens, as he will be given a day of rest.
Claude Giroux (RW)	Out Fri	Rest - 29 / 04 / 22	3-8	4-7	+ -
Giroux will not battle the Canadiens on Friday, as he will receive a day of rest.