Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the NHL preseason match.
The Florida playoff battle from the 2023/24 season returns! Will the Panthers rough up the Lightning again, or will it end in a shootout like the recent preseason clash without the main club stars? And another question — will any of the key players be on the ice?
Florida Panthers
Paul Maurice seems to enjoy watching his goaltenders take a beating in the preseason. No one but Sergei Bobrovsky can handle the shot load. Kenneth Appleby conceded five to the Lightning, and Spencer Knight let in six against the Carolina Hurricanes. Who's up next, or will they finally put Sergei Bobrovsky or a competent Chris Driedger in net? In the first two friendlies, the Panthers seemed to be doing well with their power play (three out of four and one out of one), but they collapsed against the Hurricanes (zero out of four). This also needs improvement.
Tampa Bay Lightning
The team is currently average and won't become champions this season. The youngsters from the system especially can't break through the opponent's defence, as the Nashville Predators demonstrated by putting Juuse Saros in goal and Jonathan Marchessault and half a dozen players with several good NHL seasons on the ice. Twenty-three shots and five power-play attempts led to nothing. Will Paul Maurice still field half of his starters when he already knows what to expect from his stars?
Florida Panthers vs Tampa Bay Lightning Prediction
It's still the preseason, which means it's not just a test but also a show. So, the more goals, the better! Do you think they were cautious and scored just a couple of goals in the 2024 Stanley Cup series? Not at all! The last three games of the Florida series ended with at least seven goals, so we expect and predict no less.
