The first-round NHL playoff series between the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning continues on Thursday. The Lightning trail 0-1 entering Game 2 against their in-state rivals. The Panthers, last year`s Stanley Cup champions, aim to return home for Game 3 with a commanding 2-0 lead. Tampa Bay has been one of the league`s strongest teams in recent years, winning two Stanley Cups and reaching three finals since 2020. This season, the Lightning had an excellent home record (29-8-4), while the Panthers were less successful on the road (20-19-2).
According to SportsLine consensus odds, the Lightning are favorites at -126 on the moneyline (bet $126 to win $100), while the Panthers are underdogs at +106 (bet $100 to win $106). The goal total is set at 5.5.
The SportsLine Projection Model, which simulates every NHL game 10,000 times, offers its top player prop betting recommendations for this game. These predictions can be used to build parlays or same-game parlays on any available betting site.
Panthers-Lightning SGP (+471)
- Nikita Kucherov: Under 1.5 total points (-156) – 5 stars
- Brad Marchand: Over 1.5 total shots on goal (-168) – 4.5 stars
- Carter Verhaeghe: Over 2.5 total shots on goal (+118) – 4.5 stars
There are many star players in this series, and Kucherov is arguably the most prominent. He led the league in points for two consecutive seasons, accumulating 121 points this year (including 84 assists). He had an assist in Game 1, but the model recommends betting the “under 1.5 points,” rating it as a 5-star play. Kucherov has gone under his total points line in each of his last five games against teams with winning records.
Marchand, who played for the Boston Bruins for a long time, now plays for Florida. This year, he averaged 2.73 shots on goal per game. The model projects him for 2.4 shots on goal on Thursday and recommends the “over 1.5 shots” bet, rating it 4.5 stars. Marchand has exceeded his shots on goal prop in four of his last six games against winning teams.
Rounding out the same-game parlay recommendations is the bet on Verhaeghe. The model also likes the “over 2.5 shots on goal” bet for him, which offers plus money (+118). Verhaeghe has exceeded his shots on goal prop in six of his last 10 games, averaging 3.0 shots per contest. The model projects him to record 2.9 shots on goal on Thursday.
