Florida Panthers vs Tampa Bay Lightning Betting Pick & Prediction 12/22/24

Betting on today’s Panthers and Lightning game? Catch the action at Amalie Arena in Tampa, FL, as the Lightning hosts this showdown at 5:00 ET on ESPN+. The Panthers are favored by -1.5 in this Atlantic division showdown. The game’s over/under is currently at 6 goals.

FLORIDA PANTHERS VS TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING BETTING PICK

The Pick: Tampa Bay Lightning +1.5

This game will be played at Amalie Arena at 5:00 ET on Sunday, December 22nd.

WHY BET THE TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING:

• The Panthers enter this game as 1.5-goal favorites and in our projections and we anticipate them winning by a score of 4-3.
• Take the Panthers on the moneyline
• On the puck line, we like Lightning (+1.5)

Can the Panthers Grab a Win on the Road?

Florida improved to 21-11-2 with a 4-2 win over the Stars. As -1.5 goal favorites, the Panthers covered the puck line. The total was set at 6.5 goals, but the combined score of 6 fell just short of that mark.

All four of Florida’s goals came from different players. They led 2-0 before the Stars tied it up, but the Panthers scored twice in the third period to secure the win.

Florida’s offense was active in their 4-2 win, with 16 giveaways but still netting four goals on 25 shots. Each goal came from a different player, including A.J. Greer, who scored for the first time this season, and Sam Reinhart, who added his 10th with an empty-netter.

Evan Rodrigues got things going with his third goal of the year at 5:15 in the first period. Matthew Tkachuk followed with his third, scoring on a power play at 11:13 in the second. The Panthers finished with 6 assists, including Sam Reinhart’s 11th of the season.

Florida’s defense gave up two goals in the second period, but they shut out the Stars in the first and third, helping the Panthers secure a 4-2 victory. Spencer Knight made 23 saves with a 92% save percentage, while the defense added 8 takeaways and 22 hits.

Will Tampa Bay Make it Happen at Home?

Tampa Bay fell to 18-10-2 after a 7-4 loss to the Jets. The Lightning were underdogs on the puck line, and the total of 11 goals easily surpassed the pre-game line of 6.5 goals.

At one point, Tampa Bay held a 2-0 lead, but the Jets responded with seven of the next nine goals. Four different Lightning players found the net in the loss.

Brandon Hagel opened the scoring for Tampa Bay with his 7th goal of the season, followed by Brayden Point’s 8th, which came on a power play. Mitchell Chaffee added his 4th goal, and Nikita Kucherov netted his 10th, unassisted, at 13:09 in the third period to tie the game 4-4.

The Lightning fired 30 shots on goal and recorded 8 giveaways. Four different players found the net, with Kucherov’s goal marking his 10th of the season. Tampa Bay’s offense registered 4 assists in the game.

Defensively, the Lightning gave up the first goal of the game at 7:37 in the first period, and then two more in the second, but the game was tied 4-4 in the third before they allowed three straight goals to the Jets. The first of those came at 12:22 in the third, followed by two empty-netters. Goalie Jonas Johansson made 27 saves with a save percentage of 84.4%.