Panthers vs Lightning Prediction, Picks, and NHL Prop Bets for April 15: Back Tampa Bay (-180)
The Florida Panthers fell to the New York Rangers on Monday and, as a result, will open the playoffs on the road against the Tampa Bay Lightning. With the teams set to play on Tuesday, will either team sit some regulars?
The road team has won two of the first three meetings between the Panthers and the Lightning this season with all three games going under the sports betting total.
The NHL betting odds have Tampa Bay priced at +140 on the 1.5-goal puck line with -180 odds to win outright. Florida (+155) looks to bounce back from a costly loss to the Rangers on Monday.
Florida is second only to the Dallas Stars at +700 in the NHL championship odds. Tampa Bay is priced at +1000 in the odds of winning the Stanley Cup.
Lightning vs Panthers Prediction
Tampa Bay is averaging the most goals per game and has the best goal differential in the NHL since March 1. The Lightning are 12-1-3 at home during that win and have outscored the opposition 68-36 during that stretch. Florida is 4-8-1 in its last 13 road matchups with just 27 goals in those games. Score prediction: Lightning 3, Panthers 2.
Panthers vs Lightning Best NHL Player Props Today
-
Jake Guentzel 1+ Goals (+160)
Jake Guentzel is coming off a two-goal game against the Buffalo Sabres as he posted his third career 40-game season. In the first three games against Florida this season, Guentzel had a goal and two assists. He could make some more NHL news by scoring his second goal against the Panthers this season.
Jake Guentzel joined Auston Matthews (6x) as the second active U.S.-born player to post at least three 40-goal seasons.#NHLStats: https://t.co/uODuM4D1xl pic.twitter.com/9HaULamwGB
— NHL Public Relations (@NHLPR) April 14, 2025
When making NHL picks, go with Guentzel at +160 to have 1+ goals.
-
Aleksander Barkov 1+ Assists (+125)
Aleksander Barkov assisted on two of Florida’s three goals in the loss to the Rangers to give him one goal and seven assists in his last seven games.
Take a look at the +125 odds for Barkov to have at least one assist when making NHL player prop picks.
Bet these Panthers vs Lightning player props here!
Panthers vs Lightning Moneyline Pick
Tampa Bay has won 12 of its last 15 games when listed by the BetUS sportsbook as the home favorite, with two of those losses coming by 4-3 scores. That is an NHL betting trend to consider.
Florida has lost the second game in five of the last seven times when playing on back-to-back nights. Keep that in mind when making NHL predictions.
Bet on Tampa Bay Lightning (-180)
Panthers vs Lightning Over/Under Pick
In each of the last six games when Tampa Bay has been the home favorite, the game landed over the total. However, the last three matchups when Florida has been the road underdog went under the total.
Tampa Bay is scoring 4.25 goals per game in its last 16 home games while converting on 30% of its power-play opportunities.
Bet on Panthers vs Lightning Under 5.5 (-102)
Panthers vs Lightning How To Watch
- Game: Florida Panthers (47-30-4) vs Tampa Bay Lightning (46-26-8)
- Date/Time: Tuesday, April 15, 7:30 p.m. ET
- Location: Amalie Arena, Tampa, FL
- Panthers vs Lightning Live Stream: NHL.com
Find the latest Panthers vs Lightning betting trends here.
Questions of the Day
Any major injuries to be aware of for the Panthers vs Lightning game?
Florida winger Matthew Tkachuk is close to returning for Florida and could be back for the playoffs. Forward Oliver Bjorkstrand is out for Tampa Bay.
How have the Panthers fared as the road underdog?
The Panthers are 1-5 outright, but 4-2 against the NHL odds in their last six games as a road underdog.
Odds and information are accurate at the time of writing. Please check with official sources for the latest updates before placing any bets.
