Lightning Look to Strike Panthers to Keep Streak Alive

The Tampa Bay Lightning face the Florida Panthers on Monday. The match will take place at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida. The puck drops at 7 p.m. in the battle of Florida.

https://twitter.com/TBLightning/status/1896561207101816869

The Tampa Bay Lightning are on an eight-game win streak coming into this game. However, records show that the Bolts have not had the best turnouts against the Panthers in the past.

In the last 10 matchups between these rivals, the Panthers have come out on-top six times. With the Bolts hot as of late, they’ll look to beat those odds.

Tampa Bay Lightning Notes

Tampa Bay currently stands at third in the Atlantic Division with a 35-20-4 season record. The offense is the highlight of the team’s work. On average, the Lightning score 3.56 goals per game, with a total of 34 goals in the last eight games. Each offensive player has shown their worth. More notably, Brandon Hagel and Nikita Kucherov have scored 57 goals and 98 assists combined to lead the top line. Anthony Cirelli, Jake Guentzel, and Brayden Point have also put in the work, combining their statistics to hold 78 goals scored and 84 assists.

Their defense has only improved from the start of the season, allowing only an average of 2.63 goals per game. In fact, the Lightning have only allowed 13 goals in the last eight games. Defensemen Ryan McDonagh and Victor Hedman have a total of 16.1 defensive point shares. Furthermore, Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy progresses with a 0.923 save percentage. Vasilevskiy also holds a 2.18 goals-against average on 1,305 shots, leaning his goals saved statistic to 28.1 goals above average.

As for injury reports, there are no recorded injuries for the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Florida Panthers Notes

The Panthers climb the rankings to second in the Atlantic Division with a 37-21-3 season record. They secured that rank through their astounding defense. In the last eight games, the Panthers have only allowed 2.80 goals with 15 goals in the last eight games. Defensemen Gustav Forsling and Aaron Ekblad shined with a combined defensive point share of 17.4. On top of the Panther’s exceptional defense, goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky adds to their performance. With a 0.904 save percentage, Bobrovsky is averages at 2.59 goals-against with 1066 shots on seasonal record. Bobrovsky also carries the record with 3.4 goals saved above average.

Looking at the Panther’s offense, they are nothing more than impressive. On average, the Panther’s offense scores around 3.28 goals per game. In just the last eight matches, the Panthers have scored 33 goals . Most notably, Sam Reinhart and Aleksander Barkov shine. Combined, Barkov and Reinhart hold 45 goals and 73 assists combined. Sam Bennett, Anton Lundell, and Carter Verhaeghe follow behind, combining for a total of 49 points and 74 assists scored.

For injuries, Left winger Matthew Tkachuk will reportedly be out for an extended period of time with a groin injury suffered in the Four Nations Face-Off. The Panthers hope he will be able to play in the playoffs. Tkachuk has been one of the best players in the league over the past couple seasons, totaling 57 points in 52 games this season. He was moved to long-term injured reserve on Sunday, clearing up cap space for Florida to possibly make a move before Friday’s trade deadline.

The Game

You can catch live coverage of the game starting at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN 98.1FM/850AM WRUF.