Panthers vs. Lightning NHL Predictions, Picks and Odds - April 27

The Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning -- the former coming off a win, the latter a defeat -- will meet on Saturday at 5:00 PM ET, at Amalie Arena in Tampa. The Lightning are underdogs despite being at home, at +104, and the Panthers are -124.

Florida won 5-3 on the road its last time out on April 25 against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Five Panthers players recorded two points each, including Steven Lorentz (one goal and one assist) and Carter Verhaeghe (two assists).

Tampa Bay played at home in its last game on April 25, and lost 5-3 against the Florida Panthers. Steven Stamkos (one goal) and Erik Cernak (one assist) were among the eight Lightning players who collected one point each in that matchup.

Before watching this matchup, here is a look at which squad we think will emerge with the victory in Saturday's NHL Playoffs First Round action.

Panthers vs. Lightning Predictions & Pick

For the upcoming game between the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning, computer-calculated moneyline, over/under, and score predictions are below, sourced from Dunkel Index.

• Prediction: Panthers 3 - Lightning 1
• Pick OU: Under 6.5 (Dunkel projecting 4.05 goals)
  

Pick with the best in the business! Get free picks for every game, every week at the Dunkel Index.

Panthers vs. Lightning Moneylines

Take a peek below at the most recent moneylines for the Panthers-Lightning matchup.

• Favorite: Panthers (-124)
• Underdog: Lightning (+104)

Panthers Betting Insights

• The Panthers are 48-20 when listed as a moneyline favorite this season.
• In games it has played with moneyline odds of -124 or shorter, Florida is 43-20 (winning 68.3% of the time).
• The Panthers' implied moneyline win probability is 55.4% in this game.
• Florida's games this season have gone over this matchup's total of 6.5 goals 30 times.

Lightning Betting Insights

• The Lightning have been made an underdog 31 times this season, and won 12, or 38.7%, of those games.
• This season Tampa Bay has won 10 of its 24 games, or 41.7%, when it's the underdog by at least +104 on the moneyline.
• Sportsbooks have implied, given the moneyline set for this matchup, that the Lightning have a 49.0% chance to win.
• Tampa Bay has combined with its opponent to score more than 6.5 goals in 42 of 85 games this season.

Panthers Key Stats

• Florida's 265 total goals (3.2 per game) make it the 11th-ranked scoring team in the league.
• The Panthers have allowed 198 total goals (only 2.4 per game), ranking first in NHL play for the fewest goals against.
• It has a league-leading goal differential of +67.
• The 63 power-play goals the Panthers have scored this season are sixth-best in the NHL (on 268 power-play chances).
• Florida's 23.51% power-play conversion rate is the eighth-best in the league.
• The eight shorthanded goals the Panthers have scored this season rank 10th among NHL squads.
• Florida kills 82.47% of opponent power plays, the sixth-best penalty-kill percentage in the league.
• Florida wins 51.3% of its faceoffs to rank 11th in the NHL.
• The Panthers connect on 9.6% of their shots (23rd in the league).

Lightning Key Stats

• Tampa Bay is fifth in the league in scoring (288 goals, 3.5 per game).
• The Lightning have given up 267 total goals this season (3.3 per game), 22nd in the NHL.
• it has the 12th-ranked goal differential in the league at +21.
• With 71 power-play goals, the Lightning lead the NHL (on 248 power-play chances).
• With a 28.63% power-play conversion rate, Tampa Bay leads the NHL.
• The Lightning have five shorthanded goals (24th in NHL).
• At 83.33%, Tampa Bay has the fifth-best penalty-kill percentage in the league.
• Tampa Bay is ninth in faceoff win percentage in the NHL (51.8%).
• The Lightning's 12% shooting percentage is tops in the league.