Following years as one of the worst NHL franchises, the Panthers remain among the best. The Panthers were coming off two consecutive Stanley Cup betting odds appearances in the Final. Subsequently, after their first Stanley Cup championship, the Florida Panthers suffered a bit of a hangover this season. Still, Florida was a good team. Hence, there was no doubt about their status as a playoff team. The Panthers struggled down the stretch with seven losses in their final ten games. The question is whether they were just playing out the string and saving it for the playoffs or not.
2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs First Round Preview: Florida Panthers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
| Date and Time: | Tuesday, April 22, 2025, 8:30 PM ET. |
|---|---|
| Location: | Amalie Arena, Tampa, FL. |
| TV Coverage: | ESPN |
| Team | Spread | Total | ML | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida Panthers | +1½ -257 | 5½ -109 | +104 |  |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | -1½ +217 | 5½ -107 | -117 | |
| ||||
Florida Panthers Series Schedule
- Game 1: Panthers at Lightning, Tuesday, April 22, 8:30, ESPN
- Game 2: Panthers at Lightning, Thursday, April 24, 6:30, TBS, truTV, Max
- Game 3: Lightning at Panthers, Saturday, April 26, 1 p.m., TBS, truTV, Max
- Game 4: Lightning at Panthers, Monday, April 28, TBD
- x-Game 5: Panthers at Lightning, Wednesday, April 30, TBD
- x-Game 6: Lightning at Panthers, Friday, May 2, TBD
- x-Game 7: Panthers at Lightning, Sunday, May 4, TBD
Florida Panthers Head Coach
Head coach Paul Maurice, age 57, finally reached the pro hockey summit last year. In a coaching career that began with the Hartford Whalers in 1995, Maurice finally achieved his life’s dream with a Stanley Cup. To summarize, his career sports betting record is 916-765-99-148. Including 141-85-18 at Florida.
Florida Panthers Goaltenders
Number one goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, age 35, will forever be a Florida Panthers legend. Bobrovsky backstopped the Panthers to the 2024 Stanley Cup championship. Last year, he was 36-17-4 with a 2.37 goals against average and a .915 save percentage with six shutouts. This year, his goals-against average is 2.44 with a .906 save percentage. Bobrovsky is 33-19-5 with five shutouts.
Florida Panthers Key Players
Sam Reinhart, age 28, has been with the Panthers since 2021. Last year, Reinhart exploded for 57 goals, 37 assists, and 94 points. In the Playoffs, Reinhart scored ten goals and six assists for 16 points. This season, Reinhart has 39 goals, 42 assists, 81 points, and a +6.
Namely, Matthew Tkachuk, age 26, scored 26 goals, 62 assists, and 88 points last season. In the playoffs, he added six goals, 16 assists, and 22 points. Tkachuk has 22 goals, 35 assists, and 57 points this year.
Florida Panthers Record, Metrics & History
Florida had NHL rankings of 15th for goals scored and 12th for power play efficiency. In comparison on defense, the Panthers had NHL rankings of 8th for goals against and 11th for penalty killing.
To conclude the regular season, the Florida Panthers were 47-31-4 straight up and 36-44 over/under the NHL Playoff betting odds total. As a result, Florida was also 5th in the Eastern Conference playoff standings, 13 points behind the Washington Capitals.
Previously, Florida had a golden opportunity in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs to win over new fans and build a higher customer base. Their exciting and winning style of hockey helps. The Panthers are easy on the eyes as one of the NHL’s most entertaining teams.
But Florida flopped badly in the second round of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs. That summer, power forward Keith Tkachuk and new head coach Paul Maurice arrived to help. Next, a berth in the Stanley Cup Final made 2023 a year to remember. But in 2024, the Panthers became immortal with their 2024 Stanley Cup championship.