Florida Panthers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning Game 5: Picks, Predictions, Odds and Player Props

The Battle of Florida continues on with a critical Game 5 matchup taking place in Tampa Bay.

The Florida Panthers have gathered a commanding 3-1 series lead, putting the backs of the Tampa Bay Lightning against the wall.

These are two dominant teams, but the series has gone one way so far.

Tampa Bay is clearly an elite team in this league, but they just haven’t consistently showed that this series. However, in a do or die situation, expect them to show up in this game as they try to survive.

As for Florida, they have been incredible and will look to close this series out as the road team with far less pressure.

This will be an excellent matchup, and we are here to get you set with our Panthers vs. Lightning prediction and the betting odds.

Florida Panthers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning Game 5 betting picks and predictions 

Tampa Bay Lightning money line (-115)

Tampa Bay returned to their home building where they did not put on a good show in Game One or Game Two. They went 0-2 losing both games in regulation, and were outscored 8-2.

Therefore, not only do they need this win to survive, but they know they need to bring the energy back into this building and perform at a much higher level.

Florida defenseman Aaron Ekblad has been suspended two games for injuring Brandon Hagel, which is a major piece for Florida to be missing. They should have no hesitations on firing a constant attack on a group missing their number one defenseman. 

Tampa Bay has shown flashes of excellence in this series, but now they have no choice but to show this in a full 60-minute effort. Their group is too talented and too experienced to go down without a fight. In a spirited battle, I see Tampa Bay winning, making the series 3-2.

Over 5.5 (-115)

Tampa Bay has proven all season long that their offense is like no other, as they finished first in the NHL in goals per game (3.6). They also finished with a lethal powerplay, as their success rate of 25.9% was fifth-best in the NHL.

These numbers have not translated into the postseason whatsoever, but the fact remains that these results are built within this team and they could explode at any given moment.

It cant be overstated how important of a game this is for Tampa Bay, so with that being expect them to come out with their best performance thus far. When they are succeeding they are scoring, so so we should see lots of offense from Tampa Bay here.

As for Florida, their exceptional play in this series leaves me no doubts that they will continue, and battle with Tampa Bay throughout the entire game. This should also translate to multiple goals on their end, even in a losing effort.

Nikita Kucherov anytime goalscorer (+170)

If anyone in this series is due to find the back of the net, it's Nikita Kucherov for the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Kucherov currently has fourt points in four games, which is not a surprising stat line, but he has yet to score and further make his mark in the series. 

He is not shooting the puck as much either, averaging 1.25 shots per game as opposed to 3.39 shots per game in the regular season (37 goals).

This is a must-win for Tampa Bay, and Kucherov is one of their best players, who has been there before and has proven to show up when it counts.

He has been locked up for the series, but in Game Five on home ice I expect to see his best performance, resulting in at least one clutch goal that will help his team in a much-needed win.

Florida Panthers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning Game 5 odds

FLA Panthers	-105 ML
TB Lightning	-115 ML
Puck Line	TB -1.5 (+220)
Total	O/U 5.5

Florida Panthers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning Game 5 player props

Anytime Goalscorer

Brayden Point	+165
Nikita Kucherov	+175
Sam Reinhart	+180
Jake Guentzel	+190
Sam Bennett	+250
Matthew Tkachuk	+250

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.