Tampa Bay Lightning vs Florida Panthers Prediction, 12/30/2021 NHL Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Tampa Bay Lightning vs Florida Panthers

Date: Thursday, December 30, 2021

Location: FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, FL

TV: Bally Sports Florida

Odds/Point Spread: Lightning (+100) Panthers (-120)

FLA Live Arena is where the Florida Panthers (18-7-4) will attempt to beat the Tampa Bay Lightning (21-6-4) on Thursday. The odds on this game have Tampa Bay at +100 while Florida opens at -120. The total comes in at 6.

The Tampa Bay Lightning were on the winning side of the scoreboard with a 5-4 victory over the Canadiens their last time out. Tampa Bay compiled 8 penalty mins in this matchup. The Lightning played really well in the win. Moreover, they had 4 opportunities with more players on the ice but didn't get a goal. For the outing, they netted 5 out of the 37 shots they tried.

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In regard to scoring goals, the Tampa Bay Lightning have tallied 101 goals (7th in the NHL) on the year and have conceded 82. For the season, they have tallied 46 points and their points percentage comes in at .742. Tampa Bay skates onto the rink with 95 power play opportunities and they have scored 17 goals out of those tries, garnering them a rate of 17.89%. When playing at even strength, the Lightning let the opposition score 64 goals while scoring 84 on offense. Tampa Bay has attempted 905 shots and is the owner of a shooting percentage of 11.2%. The Lightning have had 939 shots taken against them and hold a save percentage of .913. Tampa Bay Lightning opponents have earned 90 power play opportunities (10th in professional hockey) and have come away with 18 goals in those attempts.

The man protecting the net in this game is Andrei Vasilevskiy. Vasilevskiy has been involved in 326 contests during his pro hockey career. He has earned an overall record of 207-87-22 and he has gotten the start in 316 games. The opposition has scored 788 goals versus Vasilevskiy in his career and his goals against average per contest is 2.48. Vasilevskiy has seen 9,894 shots taken against him and he has 9,106 saves. His save percentage sits at .920 for his 19,087 minutes in the crease. For his career, Vasilevskiy is sitting with 182 quality starts and his quality starts percentage is .576.

When they took the ice last, Florida went up against the Kings in a game where the Panthers took the loss by a final score of 4-1. They had 4 opportunities on the power play in this outing but weren't able to put one in the back of the net. The Panthers recorded 1 goal out of the 42 shots on goal they were seeking.

Florida has attempted 1,052 shots (3rd in the league) and has earned a shot percentage of 9.79%, while allowing their opponents 894 shots. They have accumulated a penalty kill rate of 80.00% on their oppositions 90 chances on the power play, and their save percentage comes in at 90.5%. They have a total of 95 chances on the power play and they have a power play percentage of 16.84%. The Panthers are sitting with 87 goals at even strength and 16 goals (20th in professional hockey) while having a power play advantage. They have allowed 85 goals to be scored by of a combination of 67 goals at even strength and 18 goals while they had less men on the ice. On the campaign, the Florida Panthers have tallied 103 goals, 40 points, as well as a points percentage of .690.

Across the ice you are likely to see Jonas Johansson in the crease. The opposition is averaging 3.13 goals/game and he has conceded 79 goals overall. Johansson's quality start rate is 41.7% and he has made 10 quality starting assignments in his pro career. He has started in 24 games and has played 1,514 minutes. Johansson is the owner of a lifetime mark of 9-11-4 and has played in 30 games. He has tallied 652 stops out of 731 shots taken against him, giving him a rate of .892.

Who will win tonight's hockey game against the spread?

Josh's Pick: Take Tampa Bay (+100)

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