SUNRISE, FLORIDA – APRIL 26: Luke Glendening #11 of the Tampa Bay Lightning is knocked to the ice by Sam Reinhart #13 and Aleksander Barkov #16 of the Florida Panthers during the first period in Game Three of the First Round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amerant Bank Arena on April 26, 2025 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
The Tampa Bay Lightning look to win another road game and even their series with the Florida Panthers at two games apiece.
Tampa Bay is back in the series after a 5–1 road win in Game 3, finally getting into the win column in this First Round matchup. In the first two games, the Lightning were held to a combined two goals, but the offense finally broke through, scoring in every period and getting plenty of points and shots from their top players.
Florida will look to bounce back on both sides of the puck and take advantage of home ice. The road team has won all three games so far, and the Panthers will aim to end that trend.
Spread
- Lightning +1.5 (-218)
- Panthers -1.5 (+185)
Moneyline
- Lightning +131
- Panthers -142
Total
- OVER 5.5 (-106)
- UNDER 5.5 (-110)
*The above data was collected on April 28, 2025, and may have changed since writing.
Lightning vs Panthers Betting Trends
- The total has gone OVER in seven of Tampa Bay's last nine games.
- Tampa Bay is 5-12 SU in its last 17 games against Florida.
- The total has gone UNDER in four of Tampa Bay's last six games on the road.
- The total has gone OVER in four of Florida's last five games.
- Florida is 15-4 SU in its last 19 games at home.
- The total has gone UNDER in four of Florida's last six games when playing at home against Tampa Bay.
Lightning vs Panthers Injury Reports
Tampa Bay Lightning
- Oliver Bjorkstrand, RW - Out
Florida Panthers
- None
Lightning vs Panthers Predictions and Picks
The Lightning battle the Panthers in Game 4 of the Battle of Florida. Tampa Bay ranks first in offense, fourth in goals against, and in the top five in special teams play. In Game 3, they played well on both sides of the puck but still need to get the power play going, as it went 0-for-5. The Bolts managed to score five goals on just 22 shots, but need to cut down on giveaways. Andrei Vasilevskiy was named the first star with 33 saves, and the penalty kill went a perfect 4-for-4. Tampa will look to replicate that effort, stay out of the penalty box, and keep the depth scoring rolling.
The Panthers actually played a decent game in Game 3, but lost their composure. Florida outshot Tampa 34–22 and outhit them 43–34. They also did well blocking shots, but didn't capitalize on several Lightning turnovers. After scoring early in the first period, the Panthers seemed poised to cruise, but instead, they took penalties throughout the game, failed to finish on quality scoring chances, and saw many of their top players post poor plus-minus numbers. Florida knows this series will be a grind and that there's room for improvement. The Panthers will look to clean up their special teams and get back to solid defensive play.
Even though both teams have had one blowout win in this series, Game 4 should shift back to defense, goaltending, and timely scoring. Both teams rank in the top ten in goals-against average, and the power play opportunities didn't produce much in Game 3. There's a lot at stake for both sides, and playing disciplined hockey could be the difference between tying the series or taking a 3–1 lead.
