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The Battle of Florida gets underway Tuesday night at Amalie Arena in Tampa Bay.
The defending champion Florida Panthers are a slight -115 favorite to win the best-of-seven series, but the Bolts are currently sitting at -115 to win Game 1.
It seems like the hockey world is split down the middle on which team they think will win this series, but there are two prevailing narratives: It will be close, and whoever emerges will be hard to beat in the subsequent rounds.
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Brad Marchand was acquired by the Florida Panthers at the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline.. Sam Navarro-Imagn ImagesPanthers vs. Lightning Game 1 betting preview
These are two battle-tested, playoff-proven rosters, so don’t expect a feeling-out process in this game.
The Bolts and Cats will know how important it is to draw first blood in a 50-50 series, so a snappy start should be expected from these two juggernauts.
The most important note ahead of Game 1 will be on the status of Matthew Tkachuk, who has been out since the 4 Nations Face-Off in February.
Tkachuk may be ready for Tuesday night, but it’s clear he’s going to feature at some point in this series.
With Tkachuk in the lineup, the Panthers can match the Lightning man for man up front, and the depth of these two teams is a wash after they both made big acquisitions at the deadline.
The edge on the blueline goes to Tampa Bay, especially with Aaron Ekblad out for Games 1 and 2, and the goaltending needle points to the Bolts too.
Panthers vs. Lightning Game 1 pick
You could make an argument that these are the two best teams in the Eastern Conference meeting in Round 1, so finding an edge is like splitting hairs.
That said, the Bolts come into the playoffs after a terrific stretch of hockey after the break for the 4 Nations.
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Tampa’s power play is elite, Andrei Vasilevskiy is back to being one of the best netminders in the world and the Bolts are one of a select few teams that can match the star power of the Cats.
Tampa’s defensive prowess and goaltending should be the difference, and I like them at better than -125 odds Tuesday night.
The Play: Lightning -125 or better (-115, Bet365)
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.
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