The battle for hockey supremacy in Florida has been one of the most entertaining series in this postseason. It has been the highest scoring series of the first round, with an average of 7.4 goals per game combined between the two teams and it also has been the most physical mathcups, with a total combined time of 38.8 penalty minutes within the first five games. More than a battle, it’s been war.

Tampa Bay kicked the series with two wins on the road, but in Game 3, the Panthers finally attacked and got the needed win, also on the road. The Lightning struck in Game 4 for the win, but failed to take the series in Game 5. The series heads back to Tampa for Game 6. Can the Lightning strike down on their local rivals and advance further into the Playoffs? Or will the Panthers surprise Tampa Bay with another win and for a Game 7?

With that, NitroBetting News goes over the highlights of the upcoming game, including recent team form, the latest NHL odds, betting trends, and betting predictions, all of which are geared to help you lock in those winning picks. Don’t forget to check out more Hockey odds and lines at our online BTC sportsbook before placing your bets!

Panthers vs. Lightning Game 6 Information

• When: Wednesday, May 26th, 2021, 8:00 PM ET
• Where: Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida
• TV: CNBC, SN360, TVAS2, BSSUN, BSFL
• Radio: Fox Sports 640 South Florida (Panthers) // WFLA 970 AM (Lightning)
• Live Stream: NHL Live
• NHL Betting Odds: Tampa Bay Lightning (-143) / OU: 6

READ MORE: Golden Knights vs. Wild NHL Playoffs Odds and Game 6 Preview – May 26th, 2021

Why Bet on the Florida Panthers?

One of the controversial calls that came in from the Panthers head coach Joel Quenneville was using a 20 year old rookie goalie Spencer Knight to defend the net on Monday night. But people forget that the coach is a three time Stanley Cup winner. He knows what he’s doing and wouldn’t have added Knight to the lineup if he didn’t trust his abilities. After getting an early goal, Knight stop 36 shots. He became the youngest goalie in history to debut in the playoffs in an elimination game.

Overall, the Panther have put up a fight. Their stats display that they’ve outplayed Tampa Bay. For example, they played the first five games with a a high danger chance percentage of 60.8%, a 55.1% of high danger chance at 5 on 5, and have had an expected goal rate of 58.8%. They’ve dominated Tampa Bay in this stat in the five games. The Panther are indeed a strong team.

Why Bet on the Tampa Bay Lightning?

The stats haven’t been in Tampa Bay’s favor. The currently lead in power play goals with seven in 17 chances, making that a 41.2%. But that hasn’t stopped players like Nikita Kucherov to under perform. In fact, he started the series with two goals in Game 1 and currently leads the team with nine points and expected goal rate of 69.3%. His time off the ice during the regular season didn’t slow him down, nor affected his game play.

We can’t go one without mentioning Andre Vasilevsky’s performance. He was one of the top goalies in the regular season, currently holding a a GSAx of 5.6. We understand that the rookie might have the upper hand, but the experience? The pressure can overcome the performance for someone like Knight. For Vasilevsky, he’s given Tampa Bay a good advantage to get the pass to the next round.

Panthers vs. Lightning Betting Trends

• The Panthers are 8-3 SU in the last 11 games.
• The Panthers are 7-3 SU in the last 10 games this season.
• The total went over in 5 of Florida’s last 5 games on the road.
• The Lightning are 10-0 SU in the last 10 games played on a Wednesday.
• The Lightning are 8-4 SU in the last 12 games when playing as the favorite.
• The total went over in 5 of Tampa Bay’s last 6 games at home.

Panthers vs. Lightning Expert Betting Predictions

With just one more game to win and with the home field advantage, Tampa Bay seem to be the team with most chances to win. The odds indicate exactly that. But in this battle for the sunshine state, the Panthers have demonstrated good numbers have been able to keep themselves afloat. They can force a Game 7 tonight, they just have to forget that they are the visiting team. Very intriguing matchup indeed.

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*All odds stated are subject to change without prior notice.