Tampa Bay Lightning vs Florida Panthers Prediction, 3/16/2024 NHL Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Tampa Bay Lightning vs Florida Panthers

Date: Saturday, March 16, 2024

Location: FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, FL

TV: ESPN+/Hulu

Odds/Point Spread: Lightning (+128) Panthers (-155)

The Tampa Bay Lightning (35-25-6) are traveling to FLA Live Arena on Saturday where they will try to defeat the Florida Panthers (45-18-4). The line on this contest has Tampa Bay at +128 while Florida is coming in at -155. The over/under has been set at 7.

The Tampa Bay Lightning came out of this game feeling pretty good about themselves with a 6-3 victory against the Rangers in their previous contest . Tampa Bay had 6 penalty minutes in this matchup. Furthermore, they had 2 opportunities with more players on the ice and were able to notch 1 goal. The Lightning had a solid offensive performance in this win. While out there on the ice, they converted 6 of the 28 shots they put on goal.

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In terms of their scoring capabilities, the Tampa Bay Lightning have accumulated 227 goals (6th in hockey) for the season and have surrendered 222. For the current season, they have 76 points and their points percentage is sitting at .576. Tampa Bay is sitting with 197 power play chances and they have scored 58 goals out of those attempts, garnering them a percentage of 29.44%. At even strength, the Lightning let the opposition score 187 goals while getting 169 on the offensive side of the ice. Tampa Bay has taken 1,933 shots and is the owner of a shooting percentage of 11.7%. The Lightning so far have had 1,940 shots taken against them and are the owners of a save percentage of .886. Tampa Bay Lightning opponents have tallied 184 power play tries (27th in the league) and have racked up 35 goals in those attempts.

The man in net for this game is Andrei Vasilevskiy. For his career, Vasilevskiy has recorded 258 quality starts and his rate for quality starts is .567. His save percentage is at .917 during his 27,339 minutes played. Vasilevskiy has seen 14,029 shot attempts against him and has accrued 12,862 saves. Opponents have been able to score 1,167 goals against Vasilevskiy in his pro career and his goals against rate is 2.56. He has an overall record of 286-139-29 and he was named the starter in 455 games. Vasilevskiy has been in goal for 465 matchups during his pro hockey career.

The last time they were on the ice, Florida opposed the Hurricanes in a matchup where the Panthers ended up taking the loss by a score of 4-0. They had 3 attempts on the power play in this contest but weren't able to notch a goal. The Panthers recorded 0 goals out of the 21 shots on goal they attempted.

This season, the Florida Panthers have earned 219 goals, 94 points, as well as a points percentage of .701. They have granted a total of 159 goals to be scored by of a combination of 119 goals at even strength and 40 goals while they had less men on the ice. The Panthers are sitting with 160 goals at even strength and 59 goals (1st in the league) while on the power play. They have a total of 220 power play chances and they have earned a power play percentage of 26.82%. Florida has taken 2,258 shots (1st in hockey) and has a shooting percentage of 9.70%, while allowing the opposition 1,863 shots. They have earned a penalty kill rate of 82.22% on the other teams 225 power play tries, and their save percentage currently sits at 91.5%.

Across the rink you are expected to see Sergei Bobrovsky in the crease. Bobrovsky is the owner of a lifetime mark of 392-220-53 and has participated in 690 games. Bobrovsky's percentage of quality starts is 57.9% and he has earned 390 quality starting assignments in his pro career. He has recorded 18,446 stops out of the 20,158 shots tried, giving him a save % of .915. The opposition is averaging 2.59 goals per game and he has surrendered 1,712 goals in total. He has started in 674 games and has played 39,733 minutes.

Who will win tonight's NHL game against the spread or moneyline?

Tony's Pick: Take Tampa Bay (+128)

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