The set-up: Joel Quenville was hired to bring back a winning culture to Florida, but I think that the Panthers are going to be overmatched on opening night in this hostile environment. Florida now has swingman goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky in net. Note that Bobrovsky faced the Bolts twice last year in the regular season and he allowed 12 goals on 50 shots.

The pick: Last year the Lightning had the best record in the NHL, only to get swept in the first round by Bobrovsky and the Blue Jackets. Can anyone say "revenge" spot? Note that the Bolts were first in the league in scoring last year with 3.89 GPG and they return their top six scorers from last year. Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy faced the Panthers once last year and he gave up one goal on 43 shots for the victory. Note that TB is 66-17 in its last 83 as a favorite in the -150 to -200 range, while the Panthers are just 4-10 in their last 14 as a road dog in the +110 to +150 range. I'm laying the price with confidence.

8* play on the Lightning.