Tampa Bay vs Florida Prediction
🔊 The "Sunshine Derby" in the NHL regular season sees Tampa hosting Florida on their ice. The hosts enter this head-to-head clash in solid form, maintaining their position in the top eight of the Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, the visitors have hit a truly championship stride, making a rapid push back into the playoff race since the start of December.
Head-to-Head
The rivals have already faced each other this season. In mid-November, Florida fell 1-3 on their home ice in Sunrise. The matchup was surprisingly subdued, with the teams combining for just 43 shots on goal. The winning goal came from forward Jack Finley, who is currently playing in the AHL.
H2H Stats Matches and Previous Teams Results
Tampa Bay Lightning Team Overview
John Cooper's squad navigated a challenging phase in early December, suffering four consecutive regulation losses. However, with Nikita Kucherov back in the lineup, the team managed to regain momentum, securing their spot in the Eastern Conference playoff picture. Statistically, they fully justify their status as one of the leaders: 104 goals scored against 83 conceded. No team in the conference has made fewer costly mistakes. A matchup against a fierce Atlantic Division rival comes at an opportune time and could vividly showcase the team's ambitions.
Match Results: Tampa Bay Lightning
Florida Panthers Team Overview
The reigning Stanley Cup champions continue to operate with a significantly depleted roster. Due to various injuries, a number of key players remain sidelined for Florida. However, Paul Maurice has managed to find the right approach. The team has secured four wins in their last five games, bringing them closer to the playoff spots in the Eastern Conference. Despite this, the club's scoring ability still raises concerns. They've only managed to net 98 goals, which hampers their ability to compete equally with the favorites. Moreover, there are no internal resources available to improve in this area.
Match Results: Florida Panthers
🏒 Projected Lineups
Tampa: Johansson - Raddysh, Moser - Hagel, Cirelli, Kucherov
Florida: Bobrovsky - Ekblad, Forsling - Reinhart, Lundell, Luostarinen
🥅 Goalies
Tampa's goaltender Jonas Johansson continues to stand in for his injured teammate Andrei Vasilevskiy, and it's fair to say the Swede hasn't been exceptional. The former Colorado player saves 90.4% of shots on average but occasionally makes costly errors.
Florida's goalie Sergei Bobrovsky remains inconsistent this season. The Novokuznetsk-trained player is capable of a shutout one game and then completely collapsing in the next. On average, the Russian saves just 88.5% of shots, yet he has already recorded three shutouts.
Editor's Prediction
This derby, though lacking a long-standing history, is fiercely contested and emotions are bound to run high. Both teams are riding a wave of momentum and are determined not to drop points. In such a scenario, it's worth considering the factor of scoring potential. Notably, in 7 of the last 8 head-to-head encounters in Tampa, at least 6 goals were scored. We believe this trend could very well continue. Our recommendation is a bet on over 5.5 goals.
Betting Tips: Tampa Bay Lightning - Florida Panthers
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