The Panthers overcame their first deficit of the series while skating to a 5-3 victory in Game 3 on Thursday night, extending their overall win streak to seven games and give them a 3-0 stranglehold in their best-of-7 set with Tampa Bay. The Lightning find themselves facing the prospect of getting bounced from the NHL playoffs in the first round for a second straight year, and will be desperate to make a speedy turnaround on Saturday after losing six of their past seven overall.

The Panthers look to Saturday’s matchup as -125 road favourites on the NHL Game 4 odds, and have soared to massive -10000 chalk on the NHL series. The lightning trail as +105 underdogs on Saturday’s moneyline and are a +1600 longshot to bounce back and win this series, while the total for Game 4 is set at 6.0, with -120 odds favouring the OVER.

Panthers vs. Lightning NHL Betting Odds

The Lightning’s offensive struggles continued Thursday. The Bolts were outshot by a 31-29, marking the seventh straight game in which they failed to outshoot an opponent. Not surprisingly, goals have come at a premium over that stretch, with the club scoring more than twice just two times. The Lightning have also no enjoyed the benefit of home cooking lately, losing four of six on home ice at Amalie Arena while allowing 3.67 goals per game. The club is also mired in a six-game home losing streak in playoff action, with each of those past three defeats coming while pegged as slim home chalk.

The Panthers have found the groove at just the right time, winning seven straight after going 3-7-2 in their previous 12 contests, and positioning themselves to complete their first playoff series sweep in franchise history. Overall, the Panthers have outscored opponents by a 25-11 margin during their 7-0 run, but still must overcome a dismal stretch on the road that has produced just three wins in eight games.

Florida Panthers

Matthew Tkachuk once again provided the spark on Thursday, opening and closing the scoring with a pair of goals, and has now picked up five points so far in the series and nine points during a six-game points streak. Gustav Forsling made the most of 12:58 of ice time, setting up a pair of third period goals and picking up a pair of penalties. However, Aleksander Barkov was held off the scoresheet for a second straight game and has failed to score in seven straight outings.

Tampa Bay Lightning

The supporting cast played a leading role in Thursday’s loss, with both Tyler Motte and Nicholas Paul finding the back of the net. But apart from captain Steven Stamkos, who leads the club with three goals, the Lightning’s biggest guns have been silent. Nikita Kucherov has recorded secondary assists in each game of the series so far, but has scored just once in nine games overall and just twice over his past 17 playoff games. Brayden Point also didn’t record a point on Thursday while failing to get a shot on goal, but managed to score on his lone shot on goal in Game 2. 

NHL Prediction: Who Will Win Panthers vs. Lightning?

• Regular Season
• Playoffs

Panthers Team Leaders

FLA

Points	Sam Reinhart 94
+ / -	Gustav Forsling 56
Shots	Matthew Tkachuk 280
Penalty Mins	Jonah Gadjovich 104
Wins	Sergei Bobrovsky 36
GAA	Anthony Stolarz 2.03

TB

Points	Nikita Kucherov 144
+ / -	Victor Hedman 18
Shots	Nikita Kucherov 306
Penalty Mins	Michael Eyssimont 104
Wins	Andrei Vasilevskiy 30
GAA	Andrei Vasilevskiy 2.9

FLA

Points	Aleksander Barkov 22
+ / -	Gustav Forsling 9
Shots	Matthew Tkachuk 83
Penalty Mins	Matthew Tkachuk 31
Wins	Sergei Bobrovsky 16
GAA	Sergei Bobrovsky 2.32

TB

Points	Nikita Kucherov 7
+ / -	Nick Perbix 0
Shots	Steven Stamkos 15
Penalty Mins	Nicholas Paul 6
Wins	Andrei Vasilevskiy 1
GAA	Andrei Vasilevskiy 3.22

• Regular Season
• Playoffs

Lightning Team Leaders

FLA

Points	Sam Reinhart 94
+ / -	Gustav Forsling 56
Shots	Matthew Tkachuk 280
Penalty Mins	Jonah Gadjovich 104
Wins	Sergei Bobrovsky 36
GAA	Anthony Stolarz 2.03

TB

Points	Nikita Kucherov 144
+ / -	Victor Hedman 18
Shots	Nikita Kucherov 306
Penalty Mins	Michael Eyssimont 104
Wins	Andrei Vasilevskiy 30
GAA	Andrei Vasilevskiy 2.9

FLA

Points	Aleksander Barkov 22
+ / -	Gustav Forsling 9
Shots	Matthew Tkachuk 83
Penalty Mins	Matthew Tkachuk 31
Wins	Sergei Bobrovsky 16
GAA	Sergei Bobrovsky 2.32

TB

Points	Nikita Kucherov 7
+ / -	Nick Perbix 0
Shots	Steven Stamkos 15
Penalty Mins	Nicholas Paul 6
Wins	Andrei Vasilevskiy 1
GAA	Andrei Vasilevskiy 3.22

Injuries

Florida

Aleksander Barkov (C)

Prob Thurs Upper Body - 11 / 06 / 24

Sam Bennett (C)

Mid May Upper Body - 23 / 04 / 24

Ryan Lomberg (LW)

Out indefinitely Illness - 23 / 04 / 24

Aleksander Barkov (C)

Prob Tues Undisclosed - 15 / 04 / 24

Oliver Ekman-Larsson (D)

Prob Sun Upper Body - 13 / 04 / 24

Steven Lorentz (C)

Ques Tues Illness - 06 / 04 / 24

Aaron Ekblad (D)

Prob Sun Lower Body - 02 / 04 / 24

Matthew Tkachuk (LW)

Prob Thurs Illness - 02 / 04 / 24

Carter Verhaeghe (C)

Out indefinitely Upper Body - 02 / 04 / 24

Gustav Forsling (D)

Prob Tues Illness - 23 / 03 / 24

Tampa Bay

Darren Raddysh (D)

Ques Wed Undisclosed - 28 / 04 / 24

Victor Hedman (D)

Ques Sun Illness - 17 / 04 / 24

Luke Glendening (C)

Prob Sun Shoulder - 16 / 04 / 24

Tyler Motte (C)

Ques Sun Lower Body - 12 / 04 / 24

Anthony Duclair (LW)

Ques Sat Illness - 11 / 04 / 24

Haydn Fleury (D)

Out indefinitely Undisclosed - 06 / 04 / 24

Anthony Cirelli (C)

Prob Tues Undisclosed - 04 / 04 / 24

Brandon Hagel (LW)

Prob Sat Undisclosed - 04 / 04 / 24

Tanner Jeannot (LW)

Prob Tues Upper Body - 04 / 04 / 24

Jonas Johansson (G)

Early May Lower Body - 01 / 04 / 24

Injuries

Florida

player (position)	status		ats*current	o/u*	notes
Aleksander Barkov (C)	Prob Thurs	Upper Body - 11 / 06 / 24	2-3	4-1	+ -
Barkov was removed from the game with an upper body injury, but he will be available versus the the Oilers in Game 3 of the Conference Final.
Sam Bennett (C)	Mid May	Upper Body - 23 / 04 / 24	8-15	11-12	+ -
Bennett is sidelined with an upper-body injury, and he will remain out of the lineup until the middle of May.
Ryan Lomberg (LW)	Out indefinitely	Illness - 23 / 04 / 24	8-15	11-12	+ -
Lomberg out of commission with an illness, and team officials have yet to provide an exact return date.
Aleksander Barkov (C)	Prob Tues	Undisclosed - 15 / 04 / 24	9-16	12-13	+ -
Barkov is managing an undefined ailment, but it is expected that he will be in Tuesday's lineup versus the Maple Leafs.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson (D)	Prob Sun	Upper Body - 13 / 04 / 24	10-16	12-14	+ -
Ekman-Larsson is battling an upper-body injury, but he is expected to be available against the Lightning for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference first round.
Steven Lorentz (C)	Ques Tues	Illness - 06 / 04 / 24	13-16	12-16-1	+ -
Lorentz was held out of the previous game due to an illness, and it is unknown if he will be available for Tuesday's showdown versus the Senators.
Aaron Ekblad (D)	Prob Sun	Lower Body - 02 / 04 / 24	13-18	14-16-1	+ -
Ekblad has been sidelined with a lower-body injury, but he is expected to return to the lineup for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference first round against the Lightning.
Matthew Tkachuk (LW)	Prob Thurs	Illness - 02 / 04 / 24	13-18	14-16-1	+ -
Tkachuk missed the last contest due to illness, but it is predicted that he will suit up in Thursday's tilt with the Senators.
Carter Verhaeghe (C)	Out indefinitely	Upper Body - 02 / 04 / 24	13-18	14-16-1	+ -
Verhaeghe is sidelined with an upper-body injury, and his status going forward is week-to-week.
Gustav Forsling (D)	Prob Tues	Illness - 23 / 03 / 24	15-22	16-20-1	+ -
Forsling has missed the last two games due to illness, but it is forecasted that he will face the Bruins on Tuesday.

Tampa Bay

player (position)	status		ats*current	o/u*	notes
Darren Raddysh (D)	Ques Wed	Undisclosed - 28 / 04 / 24	1-0	1-0	+ -
Raddysh is dealing with an unknown injury, and it remains to be seen if he will be active against the Panthers for Game 6 of the Eastern Conference first round.
Victor Hedman (D)	Ques Sun	Illness - 17 / 04 / 24	4-2	3-2-1	+ -
Hedman has an illness, and it is unclear if he will participate in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference first round versus the Panthers.
Luke Glendening (C)	Prob Sun	Shoulder - 16 / 04 / 24	4-2	3-2-1	+ -
Glendening has a shoulder injury, but he is expected to take part in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference first round against the Panthers.
Tyler Motte (C)	Ques Sun	Lower Body - 12 / 04 / 24	4-4	3-3-2	+ -
Motte is nursing a lower-body injury, and it is unknown if he will face the Panthers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference first round.
Anthony Duclair (LW)	Ques Sat	Illness - 11 / 04 / 24	5-4	4-3-2	+ -
Duclair missed the last game with an illness, and it is uncertain if he will suit up Saturday versus the Capitals.
Haydn Fleury (D)	Out indefinitely	Undisclosed - 06 / 04 / 24	6-5	6-3-2	+ -
Fleury is idle with an unspecified ailment, and he will miss an undetermined length of time.
Anthony Cirelli (C)	Prob Tues	Undisclosed - 04 / 04 / 24	7-5	6-4-2	+ -
Cirelli missed the last contest with an unknown injury, but it is likely that he will face the Blue Jackets on Tuesday.
Brandon Hagel (LW)	Prob Sat	Undisclosed - 04 / 04 / 24	7-5	6-4-2	+ -
Hagel was lifted from the previous clash with an unspecified ailment, but it is expected that he will suit up Saturday versus the Penguins.
Tanner Jeannot (LW)	Prob Tues	Upper Body - 04 / 04 / 24	7-5	6-4-2	+ -
Jeannot has been absent from the last two contests due to an upper-body injury, but it is not expected to affect his status for Tuesday's battle with the Blue Jackets.
Jonas Johansson (G)	Early May	Lower Body - 01 / 04 / 24	8-6	6-6-2	+ -
Johansson is sidelined with a lower-body injury, and he will remain idle until at least the beginning of May.