The first matchup on a four-game NHL Stanley Cup playoff slate features Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Florida Panthers. The opening puck drop begins at 12:40 p.m. ET at Amerant Arena in Sunshine, Florida, giving the Panthers home ice during this Eastern Conference series.
Oddsmakers have the Panthers projected to win outright with their moneyline odds set to -166. They are also leaning over 5.5 total goals to be scored in this contest, making -134 odds available to wager at FanDuel Sportsbook. These two opponents played each other three times during the regular season, with Florida winning the first two before Tampa Bay finally broke through with an outright win while recording an impressive 5-3 win on the road last month.
Here, we’ll break down a plus-money Same Game Parlay to wager in this exciting Round 1 matchup to get Sunday started with profit. Make sure to follow me @Matt_MacKay_ on X to get more free plays, NHL Prop Bets, and NHL best bets during the week.
Sunday's NHL SGP
(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)
Leg 1: Brayden Point To Record 1+ Points (-170)
Tampa Bay’s offense is lethal and it features a fantastic first-line attack, led by Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov. Point has notched 90 points entering the playoffs, but he’s only recorded one point during the three games he’s faced the Panthers this season. However, to end the season, Point recorded one or more points in five of his final seven regular season contests.
He benefits greatly from Kucherov’s presence, who led the league with 100 assists alongside Connor McDavid. The addition of Anthony Duclair at the trade deadline was huge too, so with these two creating plenty of good scoring chances, Point is going to be set-up to record either an assist or goal while facing Sergei Bobrovsky on Sunday afternoon.
Leg 2: Over 5.5 Total Goals (-134)
We’ve seen over 5.5 total goals hit in two of three regular season games between these two opponents this season. Andrei Vasilevskiy played out of his mind, recording 47 saves en route to Tampa Bay’s 5-3 road win in March. Bobrovsky has been solid lately, but he did surrender four goals on only 15 shots faced during this most recent loss to the Lightning.
Both offenses have depth and top-tier scoring talent, plus, eight of Tampa Bay’s last nine games played at Amerant Bank Arena following a home win have gone over the total goals line. We only need six total goals scored to cash this second leg of our SGP. Vasilevskiy is a streaky netminder, allowing four to five goals in three of his past four starts, so he’s the key to hitting over 5.5 total goals.
Leg 3: Tampa Bay Lightning +2.5 (-400)
Finally, we’re going to bite on Tampa Bay +2.5 in the alternate puck line market. Yes, it’s -400 odds, but it takes us from +108 to +154 odds. The Lightning did get routed 9-2 by the Panthers in one of their three matchups this season, but the other two were either an outright win or a one-goal loss.
The underdogs have covered the puck line in each of Tampa Bay’s last six games played against the Panthers on the road, so here, we’re playing it safe in case the Lightning pull Vasilevskiy in a one-goal deficit late in the game to avoid the hook. This way, a 4-2 win by either team keeps our SGP in the clear.
Same Game Parlay Odds: +154
In summary, our +154 Same Game Parlay between the Lightning vs. Panthers requires three legs to win. Brayden Point must record at least one point, there have to be a minimum of six goals scored, and Tampa Bay cannot lose by more than two goals.
The Lightning haven’t lost by more than two goals in 18 consecutive matchups, dating back to March 7th. Point has recorded one or more points in seven of his previous nine games played and six or more goals have been scored in six of Tampa Bay’s past seven matchups. Ideally, we need a 4-2 win by either side, plus Point to score an assist or goal, to cash this +154 SGP during the opening game of Sunday’s NHL Stanley Cup playoff action.
Matthew MacKay is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Matthew, check out his archive and follow him @Matt_MacKay_.