The first-round playoff series between the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning continues on Thursday. Tampa Bay currently trails their Florida rivals 1-0 in the series. The Panthers, who won the Stanley Cup last year, aim to take a dominant 2-0 series lead back to home ice for Game 3. The Lightning have been a strong team recently, winning two Stanley Cups and reaching three finals since 2020. This season, the Lightning had a solid 29-8-4 record at home, while the Panthers were 20-19-2 on the road.
According to SportsLine consensus odds, the Lightning are favored on the money line at -126, while the Panthers are underdogs at +106. The total goals line (over/under) is set at 5.5.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NHL game 10,000 times to generate top-rated player prop picks, available under the `Prop Picks` tab. These props are rated up to five stars. The model`s picks are valuable for constructing winning parlays, including same-game parlays, on various betting platforms.
Panthers-Lightning SGP (+471)
- Nikita Kucherov Under 1.5 total points (-156): 5-star rating
- Brad Marchand Over 1.5 total shots on goal (-168): 4.5-star rating
- Carter Verhaeghe Over 2.5 total shots on goal (+118): 4.5-star rating
This series features significant star power, and Nikita Kucherov is arguably the most prominent player involved. He has topped the NHL in scoring in back-to-back seasons, accumulating 121 points this year, including 84 assists. He recorded an assist in the Game 1 loss. The model favors the Under 1.5 total points for Kucherov, assigning it a 5-star rating. Notably, Kucherov has finished below this points total in his last five games when facing teams with winning records.
Brad Marchand, formerly a long-serving player for the Boston Bruins, now skates for Florida. He averages 2.73 shots on goal per game this season. The model projects him for 2.4 shots on goal tonight and recommends the Over on his 1.5 line. Marchand has exceeded this shots on goal prop in four of his last six contests against winning opponents.
Completing Thursday`s suggested same-game parlay is Carter Verhaeghe. The model also favors the Over on his shots on goal prop line of 2.5, which offers favorable plus money odds. Verhaeghe has surpassed his shots on goal prop in six of his previous 10 games, averaging 3.0 shots per outing. The model forecasts him to register 2.9 shots on goal for Thursday`s game.
