Florida Panthers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning Game 5 Pick & Prediction

The Florida Panthers look to add the finishing touches to their series against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 5 on Wednesday, April 30 at 7:30 PM ET at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. The Lightning are slight favorites with a moneyline at -115 at MyBookie.

Florida Panthers Betting Preview

The Panthers have a huge opportunity ahead of them if they can close out this series in Game 5. They took care of business in the first two games on the road and split their two at home, but now have another tough task with a potential third victory in Tampa.

In Game 4, the Panthers were down 2-1 in the second period and it seemed the Lightning had great momentum. In the third period, both Aaron Ekblad and Seth Jones scored 11 seconds apart from one another to take control.

The Panthers fired 23 shot attempts and were clearly more aggressive with 46 hits. They had three power play opportunities but did not convert them. This could be a pivotal moment in Game 5 if they can land easier scoring chances.

Florida is getting 3.25 goals per game in this series, which is slightly above what they averaged during the regular season. They have great momentum and look appealing here.

Tampa Bay Lightning Betting Preview

The Lightning looked revitalized in their Game 3 victory when they won 5-1. However, they allowed the Panthers to work their way back into closing out the series with their efforts midway through Game 4.

Mitchell Chaffee and Erik Cernak both landed goals in the second period just 11 seconds apart to gain the 2-1 lead. Coincidentally, the Panthers happened to do the same to take the lead back in the third period. These collapses cannot happen if they expect to get back on track.

The Lightning definitely had a legitimate shot to win this game, but lacked the ability to make plays down the stretch. Both teams had three penalties, with the Panthers having 17 minutes worth while the Lightning had six. They also failed to score on their power plays, where they had two opportunities.

Tampa Bay has been averaging just 2.25 goals per game in this series. During the regular season they were getting 3.56 goals each matchup, but clearly have missed that mark here. In Game 2 they went scoreless, but it also shows that they have been inconsistent on the offensive end.

Odds, Series Trends, and Free Pick

The best Florida Panthers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning betting odds have been provided by MyBookie, which shows the Lightning have a slight chance of success. Looking back at the regular season and in this series, these two teams have had close matchups and went back and forth without any one team having a huge advantage over the other. For this series, the Panthers are appealing to move onto the next round and this game might be the one for them to get it done.

Final Pick: Florida Panthers -105