Florida Panthers vs Tampa Bay Lightning Prediction: The Panthers will be the first to win in the semi-finals

Prediction for the NHL Florida Panthers vs Tampa Bay Lightning match, which will take place on May 18. Check the team conditions and choose several betting options.

Florida finally reached the second round of the Stanley Cup. It was only the second time that the Panthers achieved this success. In 1995/96, the last time was when they eventually made it to the final playoff series, where they lost to Colorado (0:4). The team had a tremendous regular season, finishing first in the Eastern Conference standings and facing Washington in the first round. Both teams had a good chance of progressing to the next round, but the Southerners were stronger in the decisive moment (4:2 in the series).

Tampa Bay has been the Stanley Cup champion for the last two seasons, but they could not keep their winning lineup in the offseason. As a result, the Lightning finished only fifth in the Eastern Conference standings, but in the first round, they were fortunate to play Toronto, which had not advanced past the conference quarterfinals since 2004. The Maple Leafs tried to put up a good fight against the more experienced Southerners, and it came down to the decisive seventh game, where John Cooper's side finished 2:1.

Florida and Tampa Bay had already played each other in the play-offs a year earlier when the Lightning was stronger, but the situation is different now. The team has gained the necessary cup experience, which allowed them to pass Washington in the current Stanley Cup. Moreover, they finished their series earlier than the Blue-Whites, so now they should have more energy and emotions. John Cooper's team has personnel losses. So, we suggest betting on a win for Florida at around 2.025.

Florida and Tampa Bay have an excellent scoring record. For the whole 6-match series last year, the rivals scored 39 goals against each other (6.50 on average per game), and in the previous two head-to-head encounters, they played 9:3 and 8:4. With that in mind, we suggest betting on a total over 6.5 for 1.896.

Aaron Ekblad has missed many games for the second year in a row due to injury, but that hasn't stopped him from being a key defenceman for Florida in healthy times. The 26-year-old is in good form right now, and he's productive defensively and offensively. This season, he has played in 67 games and recorded 62 points (16 goals + 46 assists). In such a situation, it is worth looking at a bet on Aaron Ekblad's total over 0.5 for 1.66.

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