{"id":480671,"date":"2025-12-27T07:55:13","date_gmt":"2025-12-27T12:55:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=480671"},"modified":"2025-12-26T23:24:18","modified_gmt":"2025-12-27T04:24:18","slug":"nhl-predictions-tampa-bay-lightning-florida-panthers-saturday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2025\/12\/27\/nhl-predictions-tampa-bay-lightning-florida-panthers-saturday\/","title":{"rendered":"NHL Predictions Saturday Night Tampa Bay Lightning vs Florida Panthers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Each day, our writers here at Last Word On Hockey<\/i> look at the games and give in-depth analysis. Our team breaks down the key matchups, storylines, and stats, then makes predictions based on how they might play out. For this edition, we will look at the Tampa Bay Lightning taking on the Florida Panthers<\/span> in Sunrise, Florida<\/span>. Don\u2019t forget to check out more NHL Predictions, as our writers continue this series throughout the 2025\u201326 season.<\/i><\/i><\/p>\n

NHL Predictions Overview<\/b><\/h2>\n

Time:<\/span> <\/strong>7:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST)<\/p>\n

How to Watch<\/a>:<\/span> Scripps Sports Florida, The Spot<\/h3>\n

Location:<\/strong> Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise, FL<\/span><\/p>\n

2025\u201326 Season Series:<\/span><\/strong> Panthers 1, Lightning 1 (Most recent: Florida 5\u20132)\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Lightning (20-13-3) travel across the state to face divisional rivals the Panthers (20-14-2) in what should be a heated (as always in the state) Atlantic Division showdown<\/span> with playoff implications. \u00a0The Lightning most recently defeated the St. Louis Blues 4\u20131 at home<\/span>, closing out a four-game homestand (2-2) with a solid all-around performance. Darren Raddysh<\/a> led the way with three points (one goal, two assists)<\/span>, while Andrei Vasilevskiy<\/a> made 23 saves in a strong showing. Luke Kunin<\/a> and Anton Lundell<\/a> scored within a minute during a five-goal third period for the Florida Panthers, who rolled past the Carolina Hurricanes 5-2 on Tuesday night.<\/p>\n

Tampa Bay Lightning Outlook<\/b><\/h2>\n

Tampa Bay\u2019s fortunes have swung in recent weeks, from inconsistent results to flashes of strong, complete hockey. The Lightning have a knack for scoring at least three goals, as they\u2019re 17-4-0 when they do. \u00a0Their top forwards, like Nikita Kucherov<\/a>, Brayden Point<\/a>, and Oliver Bjorkstrand<\/a>, provide consistent offence.\u00a0 Defensively, Tampa will need to stay disciplined, especially against a Florida team that can strike quickly on the power play and with a stick to the head. Goaltending from Vasilevskiy (3-2 in his last five games), when healthy, gives Tampa a chance in any matchup, but the team must tighten up in its own end to stay competitive on the road.<\/p>\n

Keys to Victory for the Tampa Bay Lightning<\/b><\/h2>\n

NHL Predictions\u00a0thinks <\/span>Tampa must minimize penalties and generate offence at even strength while preventing dumb penalties that put the Panthers on the power play. Florida is 8-5-0 when scoring with the extra man this season, and <\/span>likes quantity over quality.\u00a0 They have to <\/span>get contributions from depth scoring:<\/span> Secondary forwards like Raddysh, Bjorkstrand, and Cirelli need to chip in goals, especially if Florida clamps down on Kucherov and Point. \u00a0Reducing giveaways and turnovers in the neutral zone will prevent Florida\u2019s transition attack from generating high-quality looks.<\/p>\n

Florida Panthers Outlook<\/b><\/h2>\n

The Panthers enter this matchup with a roster built for balanced scoring and strong puck control. Florida\u2019s top offensive contributors, Brad Marchand<\/a><\/span> (20 goals, 21 assists) and Sam Bennett<\/a><\/span> (seven goals, six assists in his last 10 games) have been production catalysts in 2025-26.\u00a0 <\/span>Florida\u2019s power play has been a recent strength. They are 17th in the league with 19%. \u00a0This helps their 3.19 goals per game. In their most recent meeting, the Panthers defeated the Lightning 5\u20132<\/span> in Tampa, with Sam Reinhart<\/a> scoring twice<\/span>. Defensively and in net, consistency will be key. When Florida limits transitions and forces Tampa into the corners, they can generate controlled offence and leverage their top line.<\/p>\n

Keys to Victory If You’re Florida<\/b><\/h2>\n

NHL Predictions thinks Florida needs to strike early and often. <\/span>Getting on the board first is key to forcing Tampa Bay into a reactive mode. It’s something Florida has exploited this season. The <\/span>Panthers must protect possession and prevent odd-man rushes that Tampa thrives on. If Florida controls the pace and consistently pressures Tampa\u2019s defence, they\u2019ll create high-danger chances and increase their odds of winning this divisional showdown.<\/p>\n

NHL Predictions: Who Takes the W?<\/b><\/h2>\n

This matchup has all the ingredients of a tight divisional battle:<\/span> scoring prowess vs disciplined structure. Florida\u2019s recent home success and division positioning give them a slight edge, but Tampa\u2019s bounce-back win over the Blues shows they\u2019re dangerous when they click.<\/p>\n

Prediction:<\/b> Panthers 4, Lightning 3 (OT)<\/b><\/em><\/b><\/p>\n

Prop Bets of the Night<\/b><\/h3>\n

This is a good chance to add our disclaimer. Please check social media for the very latest lineup news and betting lines before locking in your daily fantasy rosters or using these suggestions as law.<\/p>\n

Lightning Team Prop \u2013 Over 2.5 Goals (+110):<\/b><\/span> Tampa\u2019s offense tends to produce when they find their rhythm, and they should get multiple chances here.<\/p>\n

Panthers Anytime Scorer \u2013 Sam Reinhart (-145):<\/b><\/span> Reinhart has been a key contributor and is likely to be involved offensively again.<\/p>\n

Final Thoughts<\/b><\/h3>\n

This divisional showdown is a key Atlantic Division pivot point late in December. Florida wants to rebound at home after a tough loss, while Tampa aims to build momentum on the road. Expect a physical game with special teams playing a pivotal role, and the stadium ambulance humming with the engine running.<\/p>\n

Main Photo Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

P<\/em>lease play responsibly, check for your local rules and age restrictions; some jurisdictions require ages 21+. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Each day, our writers here at Last Word On Hockey look at the games and give in-depth analysis. Our team breaks down the key matchups, storylines, and stats, then makes predictions based on how they might play out. For this edition, we will look at the Tampa Bay Lightning taking on the Florida Panthers in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5453,"featured_media":470587,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9,6,4547,4548,4524],"tags":[6255,6391],"class_list":["post-480671","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lightning","category-panthers","category-hockey","category-nhl","category-nhl-predictions","tag-florida-panthers-predictions","tag-tampa-bay-lightning-predictions"],"modified_by":"Levi Pike, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/480671","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5453"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=480671"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/480671\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":480696,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/480671\/revisions\/480696"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/470587"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=480671"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=480671"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=480671"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}