Stanley Cup Playoffs: Lightning vs Panthers Game 3 Odds, Analysis, & Picks

Two bitter rivals will clash once again on Saturday as the Tampa Bay Lightning visit the Florida Panthers for Game 3 of their first round series. The puck drop is scheduled for 12:08 PM ET. The defending Stanley Cup champions currently have a commanding 2-0 lead in the series and will be looking to put things out of hand here as they return home for the next two contests. Keep reading for the Lightning vs Panthers Game 3 picks.

Odds provided by Sports Interaction.

Lightning vs Panthers Game 3 Odds

The Panthers head into Game 3 as a clear -140 favorite at NHL sportsbooks. The Lightning are an underdog once again with +118 odds. The Over/Under is set at 5.5 goals.

What’s happened so far in Lightning vs Panthers?

These two have met many times in the playoffs and while Tampa finished above Florida in the standings, it hasn’t shown in this series. The Cats dominated in Game 1 with a 6-2 victory before they won again in Game 2 on Thursday by a score of 2-0. Two victories on the road have put the Panthers in a prime position to advance.

Lightning vs Panthers Analysis

Tampa is a regular in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but they were sure given a difficult task in the first round, and as we’ve seen, the Bolts have had no answer for the Panthers. They’ve scored just twice through the first two games and were shut out in Game 2, despite registering 22 shots. Game 1 wasn’t much better with just two goals.

Playing home is supposed to be an advantage but the Lightning completely dropped the ball and now have to go on the road and hope to beat the Cats once and hopefully twice in their own arena. That will be extremely difficult to do considering the atmosphere at Amerant Bank Arena. Tampa Bay has to dig deep and find its absolute best.

The Panthers look the part of the champs and got a massive boost in Game 1 with the return of Matthew Tkachuk, who had been out since the 4 Nations Face-Off. The American made his presence immediately felt, scoring twice and assisting another. Nate Schmidt also netted twice in the opener, and he was busy again in Game 2 with the first goal. Sam Bennett added an empty-netter in the third to give Florida a 2-0 series advantage.

However, the Cats were dealt a scare in the third when Brandon Hagel lined up captain Aleksander Barkov with a dirty hit that forced the Finnish star to exit early. He never returned, and he appeared to be in serious pain. There’s no update on his status yet, but losing Barkov for any period would hurt them. He’s undoubtedly one of their best players.

Lightning vs Panthers Game 3 Picks

While I do think Tampa is going to have a difficult time beating the Panthers on home ice, I’m instead going to eye a different bet outside of the moneyline. The Over has cashed in three of the last four meetings, and although Game 2 was low-scoring, it’s only a matter of time until the Lightning score some goals. After all, they were the best offensive team in the league in the regular season.

Pick: Over 5.5 (-120)/Sports Interaction