Lightning aim to secure series victory over the Panthers
Florida Panthers (37-14-5, second in the Central Division during the regular season) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (36-17-3, third in the Central Division during the regular season)
Tampa, Florida; Wednesday, 8 p.m. EDT
LINE: Lightning -148, Panthers +126; over/under is 6
NHL PLAYOFFS FIRST ROUND: Lightning lead series 3-2
BOTTOM LINE: The Tampa Bay Lightning look to clinch the first round of the NHL Playoffs over the Florida Panthers in game six. The teams meet Wednesday for the 14th time this season. The Panthers won the previous meeting 4-1.
The Lightning are 36-17-3 against the rest of their division. Tampa Bay ranks sixth in the league with 30.2 shots per game and is averaging 3.2 goals.
The Panthers are 37-14-5 against the rest of their division. Florida is sixth in the league recording 8.9 points per game, averaging 3.4 goals and 5.6 assists.
TOP PERFORMERS: Victor Hedman leads the Lightning with 36 assists and has 45 points this season. Alex Killorn has four goals and six assists over the last 10 games for Tampa Bay.
Jonathan Huberdeau has 61 total points while scoring 20 goals and totaling 41 assists for the Panthers. Alexander Wennberg has six goals and two assists over the last 10 games for Florida.
LAST 10 GAMES: Lightning: 5-4-1, averaging 3.1 goals , 5.4 assists, 6.6 penalties and 20.5 penalty minutes while giving up 3.3 goals per game with a .902 save percentage.
Panthers: 7-3-0, averaging four goals , 7.2 assists, 6.5 penalties and 21.6 penalty minutes while giving up 3.1 goals per game with a .901 save percentage.
INJURIES: Lightning: Barclay Goodrow: out (upper-body).
Panthers: Sam Bennett: day to day (undisclosed), Noah Juulsen: out (undisclosed).
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by