Florida Panthers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning Game Day Preview

An NHL Game Day Preview between the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning

When: 6:30 PM ET, May 20, 2021

Where: Amalie Arena, Tampa, FL

Puckline: Lightning -1.5 | Panthers +1.5

Moneyline: Tampa Bay -135

OVER/UNDER Game Total: 5.5

Florida Panthers

Playoff Record: 0-2-0

Road Record: 0-0-0

Tampa Bay Lightning

Playoff Record: 2-0-0

Home Record: 0-0-0

Florida Panthers Vs Tampa Bay Lightning Game Day Preview

The Tampa Bay Lightning will try to extend their series lead against the Florida Panthers when they play Game 3 of the Stanley Cup First Round at Amalie Arena on Thursday night.

Tampa Bay Lightning

The Tampa Bay Lightning, up 2-0 in the series, are coming off a tight 3-1 win over their in-state rival Florida Panthers.

Andrei Vasilevskiy will get the nod in net yet again. Vasilevskiy has had no issues in this series, especially in Game 2 when he turned aside 32 of 33 shots. He was 18-2-0 with a stellar 1.75 GAA and .936 SV% with three shutouts in 20 starts at home.

Florida Panthers

The Panthers are looking to find the win column for the first time in this series. They had home-ice advantage, but lost it in a seesaw battle in Game 1. After that 5-4 loss, they were dropped 3-1 in a better effort in Game 2.

Now in Game 3, Florida will look to climb back into the series. Luckily, the Panthers have Sam Bennett back on the ice. Bennett missed Game 2 after getting suspended one game for boarding Tampa Bay Lightning forward Blake Coleman.

In addition, the Panthers will need a big game from Chris Driedger, who is the starting goalie for Thursday’s game. Driedger started Game 2, a 3-1 loss that put Florida in a 0-2 series hole. Driedger stopped 26 of 28 shots in that game.

Matchup Facts

1. The Panthers are 1-8 in their last nine playoff games as an underdog.
2. The Lightning are 20-6 in their last 26 home games following a road trip of seven or more days.
3. Tampa Bay is 6-1 in their last 7 playoff games as a favorite.
4. The Lightning have never lost a best-of-7 series in the Stanley Cup Playoffs when taking a 2-0 lead, going 6-0.

Author’s Prediction

Tampa Bay has Vasilevskiy in the pipes, and he has been untouchable in the crease at home. Meanwhile, Florida looks a tad inexperienced and uneven, while the champs look like the champs. So, with everything going the right way for Tampa Bay, it’s hard to go against them.