Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers meet at the Amalie Arena in the third match of their best of seven series, and you’ll be pleased to know that we have some betting picks for Sunday afternoon’s action.
At the start of the best of seven battles, the Panthers were the favorites to win both the tie and they were second-favorites to win the Stanley Cup.
With the Florida Panthers now 2-0 down, on both counts, that’s no longer the case. In the betting to win this series, the Lightning is now -360, with the Panthers at +280.
While a quick look at the latest 2022 Stanley Cup betting odds shows that the Panther’s odds have also taken a dive, and they are no longer the second favorites.
| 2022 Stanley Cup Winner Odds |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Colorado Avalanche | +200 | +190 |
| Florida Panthers | +600 | +650 |
| Calgary Flames | +600 | +700 |
| Carolina Hurricanes | +650 | +650 |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | +550 | +600 |
| Edmonton Oilers | +1100 | +1200 |
| New York Rangers | +1200 | +1200 |
| St. Louis Blues | +2500 | +1600 |
The two Florida-based teams switch across town for Match 3 of the series. The fixture is the first home match for the Lightning, who already lead the best of seven series by two wins to zero.
Match 1 – The Panthers probably thought things were going well on the opening night of the best of 7 series.
At the end of the 1st Period, they were one goal to nil up, and after the 2nd Period, it was a goal-a-piece.
Then at the end of the 3rd Period, they were hit with what must have felt like a sledgehammer.
Pierre-Édouard Bellemare started the scoring in the fourth minute, to put the Lightning 2-1 up. Things got worse for the Panthers as Nikita Kucherovand Ross Colton added third and fourth goals late in the period, to give the Lightning what looked like a comprehensive 4-1 win.
In truth, it might not have been a fair reflection of the play. But in match 1 of the series, it was a real hammer blow.
Match 2 – This was a much tighter affair, and with two matches to come at the Amalie Arena, already a must-win for the Panthers. But ultimately, Andrew Brunette’s team wasn’t up to the challenge and they lost 2-1.
The Panthers went 1 goal down in the 1st Period to a strike by Corey Perry. They responded well to level up the match at 1 goal each at the end of the 2nd Period. But again, the Lightning finished stronger, and Ross Colton scored the winner with just 4 seconds left on the clock.
The manner of these two defeats must have knocked the stuffing out of the Florida Panthers. How do you come back from losing two matches in that manner?
It’s going to be a hell of a big task. And this is for the team who went into the second playoff round as the second betting favorites to win the Stanley Cup.
The Panthers took the bragging rights in the regular season by three games to two. And it may be obvious to say, but they need to rekindle some of that spirit and form to turn this series around from here.
The best Vegas Sportsbooks still believe in them. Despite the Lightning having home advantage, the odds on the Moneyline are very tight.
BetOnline is slightly favoring the Panthers. Although elsewhere, I’ve seen them both neck and neck in the betting.
Starting with the Moneyline, and with this being a tight game, the odds on this market are decent value. I have to believe that the Panthers are going to fight back. They’ve come too far this season to capitulate and go three games to zero down, surely!
To put it another way; if they lose this, they are pretty much done for this season. So for that reason alone, I’m taking the Panthers to win on the Moneyline.
When it comes to the Points Spread in this match, where is the value? I’m taking the Panthers to win on the Moneyline, albeit without a massive amount of confidence, but am I sure they will win by 2 goals or more? Of course not!
But at the same time, is the Lightning value to be wagering on at -240? Probably not. Therefore there are two options on the Points Spread for me, a Panthers win. Or no bet.
If you push me to choose one or the other, I will go with the Panthers, but I wouldn’t be going in hard on this bet.
On the Total Goals line, BetOnline has rather annoyingly set the spread at a round of figure. The NHL Odds on this market is favoring over 6, which is 7 goals or more. Neither match in the playoff series has reached that target yet.
But with the series on the line, will the Panthers be throwing caution to the wind and going for it? Maybe. But they may also not want to be reckless, and play a cautious game.
I’m going with the odds here. Under 6 is +115, and that looks like a far better value pick to me.
