The push to the second round of the 2025 NHL playoffs continues on Wednesday, April 30th with a three-game slate. One of the top NHL matchups of the day was Game 5 between the Florida Panthers (-107) and the Tampa Bay Lightning, and the Eastern Conference Playoff Bracket at 7:30pm ET. The Panthers are defending the Stanley Cup champions, taking a 3-1 lead in the series. Florida beat Tampa Bay 4-2 in Game 4, and Game 5 will be played at Lightning’s Home Ice at Amalie Arena.
Sportsline expert Jimmy Kaylor broke the Panthers vs. Lightning odds, revealing his top pick and NHL player props. Combine his five picks into the same NHL game perlay at BETMGM and you’ll get a +1100 payment ($100 risk to win $1100). Kaylor has been beneficial as a handicaper for multiple sports since joining the sports line, and his background as a former college and NFL player has given him a unique perspective when building his fantasy lineup and locking betting picks. Well, here are five picks for Kaylor from his Lightning vs. Panthers SGP on Wednesday:
Florida Panthers Money Line (-107)
The Panthers led the series 3-1, aside from a 5-1 loss in Game 3, they were an unquestionable team here. Tampa Bay has the house ice here and faces elimination, so it counts something. Florida has been my choice to win the Eastern Conference when the playoffs begin, and I hope that in the end the Panthers will punch tickets to the second round of the playoffs on Wednesday night.
Braden Points always score goal scorers
This is a game where you expect your goals to be difficult to come. Points has played well in the series, earning pucks online and has so far 10 registered shots. Points have two goals in four games and like the chance to score a third goal in Game 5.
Panthers Lights with less than 7.5 goals
Both of these teams are excellent in the defensive zone, but are efficient and not necessarily explosive in the offensive zone. Both goalkeepers have sub-3.0 goals against the playoff average that enters Game 5. One game in this series exceeds 7.5 goals (Game 1) and will not change on Wednesday night.
Braiden Point 2+ Shots in the Goal
To wish Tampa Bay to expand this series, the points must be from a different manufacturer. He averages 2.5 shots per game goal in the series and expects to hit this number early in Game 5. This is one of my safest choices for this SGP.
Sam Bennett 2+ shot in goal
The Panthers are deeply talented, with Bennett playing mainly in the second line with Matthew Tokachuk and Evan Rodriguez. Bennett has registered 11 shots in the series goal and hopes he will hit this number one more easily in Game 5.
Total payment: +1100 on BetMGM Sportsbook
Do you want to see more NHL picks today?
We’ve seen some of Kaylor’s best bets in the NHL playoffs on Wednesday. Here you’ll get spread, sum, and money line picks across all games from a model that simulated all games 10,000 times.
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You can also see today’s top NHL picks from expert Matt Severance who has been making a hot 131-66-7 roll on his last 204 NHL pick. Visit the Sports Line to see his best plays from more than 3 units of experts. You can also check out Panthers vs. Lightning picks from 10,000 simulations.
