NHL Playoffs picks, odds: Expert predictions for Lightning vs. Panthers and Hurricanes vs. Islanders

The Tampa Bay Lightning and the New York Islanders are down 2-0 in their respective opening-round matchups, but they’ll have home games in Games 3 and 4 to dig themselves out of a hole.

While we’re here, let’s take a moment to appreciate what could be the save of the playoffs from Florida Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky.

“I was a little bit late on the first shot, on the second shot,” Bobrovsky said after the game. “It’s just a desperation save. It just happens.”

I don’t know about you all, but I wouldn’t have acted as cool as Bobrovsky was after making a save like that. Some people are wondering if it’s the save of the century. But that could be a future Athletic article idea in a few decades. We can even wake up Sean McIndoe aka Down Goes Brown from his cryogenic sleep to make it happen.

Odds are from BetMGM and update live. Buy tickets to see your favorite team on StubHub.

Florida Panthers at Tampa Bay Lightning — Game 3

How to watch: 7 p.m. ET on TBS, SN

Panthers lead series 2-0

Series odds: Panthers -1000, Lightning +650

Key takeaways

Carter Verhaeghe scored his fifth overtime playoff goal in Game 2 Tuesday night, putting him closer to elite company. Only two NHLers — both legends — have scored more OT goals in the postseason: Joe Sakic (8) and Maurice Richard (6). The love for Verhaeghe isn’t stopping anytime soon.
We mentioned the Bobrovsky save above. It only cements the fact that he’s been the better goalie between him and fellow countryman Andrei Vasilevskiy through two games. Officer Bobrovsky’s two wins improved his lifetime playoff record against Tampa to 6-4-0.
It doesn’t look as if Sam Bennett will be available for Florida. Perhaps for just a week, according to Panthers head coach Paul Maurice. Bennett’s goal and assist in the Panthers’ Game 2 were his first points against the Lightning in a playoff game since Game 5 of the Panthers-Lightning first-round series back on May 24, 2021.
Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov is now on a seven-game playoff goalless drought dating back to April 20, 2023 when the Lightning played the Toronto Maple Leafs in last year’s first-round series.
The Lightning as a whole need more from their offense at 5-on-5. According to Natural Stat Trick, none of their lines have a Corsi For percentage rate above 50 percent through two games. Tampa’s line of Duclair-Point-Kucherov is their best-performing line according to that metric at 44.90 percent.

How to watch: 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2, SN360

Hurricanes lead series 2-0

Series odds: Hurricanes -2000, Islanders +1000

Key takeaways

Ilya Sorokin is the projected starter for the Islanders in Game 3. In six career playoff games against the Hurricanes, Sorokin is 2-4 with a .924 save percentage and a 2.60 goals-against average. Sorokin has only allowed more than two goals in just two of those appearances.
If you were curious about Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen and his playoff numbers against the Islanders here’s a much smaller sample size for you: a 3-0 record with a .938 save percentage and a 1.62 goals-against average.
If you’re an Islanders fan looking for any kind of optimism being down two games to none, you’d have to go all the way back to 1985. The Isles were down 2-0 against the Washington Capitals in their first-round series , which was a best-of-five. New York rallied to win the series 3-2. Two years later, all best-of-five opening-round matchups were extended to seven games.
Carolina Hurricanes youngster Seth Jarvis entered the postseason with four three-point games during the regular season. Carolina’s Game 2 win was his first-ever three-point night in the Stanley Cup playoffs.