Florida Panthers vs Tampa Bay Lightning Prediction & Picks - NHL
USA - NHL
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by Taavi Pailk | in NHL Picks
State rivals, the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning, meet up for the third time this season on Saturday night at Amerant Bank Arena.
The two have split their previous two meetings, with both sides winning on the road. Most recently, Florida beat Tampa Bay 5-2 on Dec. 15, and the Lightning triumphed 3-1 in November. Their third head-to-head meeting comes with only one point separating the teams in the Atlantic Division standings.
The Panthers have enjoyed their best stretch of the season lately, winning eight of their last 10 games. Meanwhile, the Lightning have been going through a frustrating spell. In December, Jon Cooper’s men have lost seven of their 11 outings.
Cooper’s team has been hit hard by injuries, seriously disrupting its rhythm. However, starting goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy recently returned to the lineup, and the results have begun to improve. On Saturday, Tampa Bay has a chance to record a third consecutive victory.
In this matchup, neither side has won consecutive regular-season games since the last campaign. The two are among the elite teams in the league, and games between them are almost always very competitive and tight.
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Florida Panthers vs Tampa Bay Lightning Form
Table
| Teams | Pts | P | W | L | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
5
|
106 | 2632 | 40 | 26 | +59 |
|
25
|
84 | 2122 | 32 | 38 | -25 |
Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning Latest Matches
4/6 (67%)
2/6 (33%)
Dec 27, 2025 - NHL
Dec 23, 2025 - NHL
Dec 20, 2025 - NHL
Dec 19, 2025 - NHL
Dec 17, 2025 - NHL
Dec 15, 2025 - NHL
4/6 (67%)
2/6 (33%)
Dec 27, 2025 - NHL
Dec 20, 2025 - NHL
Dec 19, 2025 - NHL
Dec 17, 2025 - NHL
Dec 7, 2025 - NHL
Dec 6, 2025 - NHL
5/6 (83%)
1/6 (17%)
Dec 23, 2025 - NHL
Dec 15, 2025 - NHL
Dec 13, 2025 - NHL
Dec 11, 2025 - NHL
Dec 10, 2025 - NHL
Nov 24, 2025 - NHL
3/6 (50%)
3/6 (50%)
Dec 27, 2025 - NHL
Dec 22, 2025 - NHL
Dec 20, 2025 - NHL
Dec 18, 2025 - NHL
Dec 15, 2025 - NHL
Dec 13, 2025 - NHL
2/6 (33%)
4/6 (67%)
Dec 22, 2025 - NHL
Dec 20, 2025 - NHL
Dec 18, 2025 - NHL
Dec 15, 2025 - NHL
Dec 6, 2025 - NHL
Dec 4, 2025 - NHL
3/6 (50%)
3/6 (50%)
Dec 27, 2025 - NHL
Dec 13, 2025 - NHL
Dec 11, 2025 - NHL
Dec 9, 2025 - NHL
Dec 8, 2025 - NHL
Dec 2, 2025 - NHL
Florida Panthers against Tampa Bay Lightning : Head to Head (H2H)
67 %
33 %
Dec 27, 2025 - NHL
Dec 15, 2025 - NHL
Nov 15, 2025 - NHL
Apr 30, 2025 - NHL
Apr 28, 2025 - NHL
Apr 24, 2025 - NHL
Players list
S. Bobrovsky
D. Tarasov
U. Balinskis
N. Mikkola
S. Jones
J. Petry
G. Forsling
A. Ekblad
E. Luostarinen
A. Greer
L. Kunin
J. Studnicka
M. Samoskevich
A. Lundell
J. Boqvist
B. Marchand
S. Bennett
C. Verhaeghe
E. Rodrigues
S. Reinhart
J. Johansson
A. Vasilevskiy
D. Raddysh
S. Santini
C. D'Astous
M. Crozier
J. Moser
D. Carlile
J. Guentzel
N. Paul
G. Goncalves
C. Douglas
P. Holmberg
S. Sabourin
Z. Girgensons
N. Kucherov
A. Cirelli
B. Point
O. Bjorkstrand
Y. Gourde
Florida Panthers - Tampa Bay Lightning Key Points
- Including the playoffs, these teams have met 11 times since the start of last season, with Florida winning seven and Tampa Bay four.
- Florida is tied for the third-most home wins in the league, going 12-7-2 at Amerant Bank Arena.
- Tampa Bay holds a 10-4-3 road record this season.
- The Panthers lead the league with three multi-goal third-period comeback victories in 2025-26.
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Our Florida Panthers vs Tampa Bay Lightning Prediction
Florida beat Tampa Bay comfortably less than two weeks ago and has found some great form near the end of the calendar year. Only Colorado and Minnesota have won more home games than Paul Maurice’s team, and the Panthers appear to be in a good spot to make it 13 wins in 22 home games.
While the Lightning have Vasilevskiy back in the fold, they remain without key players. In Brandon Hagel, the team has lost its top goal-scorer, while Victor Hedman’s absence from defense has a huge impact on both ends of the ice.
Our prediction for Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Florida Panthers: Panthers to win.
All tips are fully researched and given in good faith, but profits cannot be guaranteed.
