Adam Williams presents his prediction for the NHL match.
The Florida Panthers, after an away game in Vegas, secured their second consecutive victory, this time at home. Now they face the Tampa Bay Lightning, who, after two wins, were defeated by the New York Rangers.
Florida Panthers
The Florida Panthers narrowly beat the Vegas Golden Knights (3:2), and then left no chance for the Washington Capitals (6:3), where Sam Reinhart recorded a brace and an assist. The Panthers have improved their attacking play: their season average is 2.88 goals per game, while in the last six matches they have scored 3.5 goals per game. Brad Marchand has been effective, contributing in nine consecutive games (8+6).
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning, after wins against the same opponents (6:3 versus the Vegas Golden Knights and 3:2 versus the Washington Capitals), collapsed in the game with the New York Rangers (3:7), where the Lightning outshot their opponent (36-21) but had a shot conversion of just 8.3%. The team concede on average three goals per game this season, but in the last four matches they have allowed 15 goals. The goaltending is not helping either: Andrei Vasilevskiy and Jonas Johansson have an average save percentage of only 90.4%.
Florida Panthers vs Tampa Bay Lightning Prediction
The Florida Panthers have become more potent in attack and should be able to trouble the Tampa Bay Lightning, who even against the New York Rangers — not a strong attacking side (48 goals, seventh-worst) — conceded seven goals. We expect at least three goals from the hosts.
