Welcome back to the 2025 NHL Predictions – Playoffs-style, from us here at Last Word on Hockey, where the stakes are as high as a Zamboni on rocket fuel. Tonight, it’s the Tampa Bay Lightning at the Florida Panthers in Game 4 of this heated Florida rivalry. Can the Panthers claw their way to a commanding 3-1 series lead, or will the Lightning strike again in Sunrise? Let’s recap the first 3 Games and find out.
NHL Predictions
Where: Sunrise, Florida
TV: ESPN 7:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)
Eastern Conference Round One Playoff Series: Florida -2 Tampa Bay – 1
Keys for the Panthers: Chill in the Hot Weather
In Game 1, Matthew Tkachuk had two power-play goals and an assist in his first game back after a long layoff from injury, leading them to a 6-2 win. He will need to get back on that track before his train runs out of gas. Nate Schmidt scored a pair of goals and added another in Game 2, where the Panthers rode Sergei Bobrovsky’s 19 saves en route to a 2-0 victory. Offensively, after losing 5-1 in Game 3, guys like Aleksander Barkov have to generate more sustained pressure and force Tampa into turnovers. Brad Marchand needs to be more productive than 1 goal/1 assist in the first 3 games of this series. You can hear the laughter all the way from Boston. Stay out of the box (seriously, maybe put a shock collar on whoever commits the next lazy hooking penalty). Get even more pucks to the net. Andrei Vasilevskiy is good; he stopped 33 of 34 shots in the last game, but he’s not invincible. Remember when he gave up 7 goals in the first two games? That’s a Bolt on the front of his jersey, not a “S” and red cape.
Defensively, NHL Predictions thinks they need to hit everything that moves, including the concession guy if he’s wearing Lightning colours. Everyone is fair game. Also, Sergei Bobrovsky must do better than 17 saves on 21 attempts in Game 3. Games like that get you a great front row seat to Game 4.
The Tampa Bay Lightning: Smelling Blood in the Water
For Tampa, it really is simple: keep doing what they did in their last game; win. Playing fast, finishing checks and shooting smart rather than wildly. In Game 1, Jake Guentzel and Brayden Point scored for Tampa Bay, but that doesn’t do much when the Panthers put in 4 more in a 6-2 loss to their cross-state rivals. The Lightning laboured the final 33 minutes without Anthony Cirelli. Game 2 was an uglier 2-0 loss, where Tampa Bay misfired on two open chances as Jake Guentzel missed the net less than a minute in. Brayden Point was also open and put his backhand shot high less than a minute later. Brandon Hagel didn’t play Game 3 after being suspended for his hit on Barkov in Game 2. His return will help. Game 3 showed who the Lightning have been all season: potent. Nikita Kucherov ‘s 3 assists in the 5-1 win is like giving a kid with a bag of M&Ms, 3 more M&Ms; yawn. But assists mean someone scored, so that’s always helpful to post a win. Jake Guentzel (1 goal/ 2 assists) needs to be replicated if the Bolts want to keep playing hockey games. And Victor Hedman ? Shut down Panthers’ scoring chances with the casual demeanour of a dad mowing his lawn.
NHL Predictions: Lightning vs Panthers
You know the old saying: “Never bet against a team with a guy named Brayden Point .” (Okay, maybe it’s a new saying, but it should be old soon.) Look for the Panthers to come out swinging like a cornered animal, even though they still lead the series. Though another consecutive loss at home would put home ice right back at the Amalie Center in Tampa. Expect some heavy-hitting, scrappy goals, and maybe even a line brawl just for the heck of it. But ultimately, Tampa’s depth, experience, and refusal to get rattled may not be enough to keep the defending champions from taking a commanding 3-1 lead in this series.
The Lightning go down fighting, and maybe biting, but the Panthers claw out a victory.
Game 4 Final Score Prediction: Florida 4 – Tampa Bay 2
Betting Nuggets to Sprinkle on Your Parlay:
Feeling lucky? NHL Predictions has some of our best (gu)estimate thoughts that may lead to your pot of gold.
- Brayden Point anytime goal scorer.
- Over 5.5 total goals.
- Sam Reinhart to record 3+ shots on goal.
Main Photo: Nathan Ray Seebeck- Imagn Images
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The post NHL Predictions: With A Win on Enemy Ice, Tampa Bay Is Now Down 2-1 in the First Round Series Against Florida. appeared first on Last Word On Hockey .