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Two of the top teams in the Eastern Conference collide as the Boston Bruins face the Florida Panthers. It is time to continue our NHL odds series with a Bruins-Panthers prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.
The Bruins come into the game sitting at 13-1-3 on the year but are also coming in off a disappointing loss. Last time out they faced the Tampa Bay Lightning. In that game Tampa Bay drew first blood, scoring in just 6:39 into the game. Boston countered just three and a half minutes later though. In the second, Tampa scored the only goal on the power play to lead 2-1. Then, Boston stepped up in the third. They scored the first two of the period, and then after a Lightning goal, put one more in to have a 4-3 lead. With five seconds left in the game, Steven Stamkos scored to tie it up, and in overtime, Brandon Hagel would hand the Bruins a 5-4 loss.
Meanwhile, the Panthers continue to improve, and come into the game at 12-5-1 on the year. They have won two in a row and five of their last eight games. Last time out they faced the Oilers. The Oilers truck first, with goals from Connor McDavid and Evander Kane in the first ten minutes. Still, Carther Verhaghe and Nike Mikkola would tie it up by the end of the period. In the second period, Connor McDavid scored on a penalty shot, but Mikkola scored again to tie the game, and Kevin Stenlund would give them the lead. After an empty net goal in the third, the Panthers would come away with a 5-3 victory.
Here are the NHL Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NHL Odds: Bruins-Panthers Odds
Boston Bruins: -118
Florida Panthers: -102
Over: 6.5 (+108)
Under: 6.5 (-132)
How to Watch Bruins vs. Panthers
Time: 7:00 PM ET/ 4:00 PM PT
TV: TNT
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Bruins Will Win
It is David Pastrnak who leads this Bruins offense on the year. He is tied for second in the NHL in points this year, just one point behind a tie for the lead. On the season he has 12 goals and 17 assists to give him 27 points. Pastrnak had a goal and an assist last time out. The power play has been a major part of his game, with three goals and nine assists when man-up. It has also been a major part of the game for Bran Marchand. He is second on the team in points, having seven goals and 12 assists on the year for 19 points. Two of the goals and seven of the assists come on the power play. The top line is rounded out by Pavel Zacha. He comes into the game with seven goals and seven assists on the year.
The Bruins also get help from their second rotation of players. Charlies Coyle is third on the team in points this year, coming into the game with six goals and nine assists on the year, good for 15 points. Meanwhile, James van Riemsdyk comes into the game with five goals and eight assists for 13 points. Meanwhile, Charlie McAvoy has been solid from his defensive position on the offensive side of things. He comes in with three goals and ten assists on the year, good for 13 points.
The Bruins come into the game sitting 11th in the NHL in goals per game, with 3.47. They are 11th on the power play this year, with a 22.8 percent conversion percentage, scoring 13 power-play goals. The Bruins are also the best in the NHL when man-down, killing 90.8 percent of their man-down chances. This helps with their NHL-leading 2.18 goals against per game this year.
With Jeremy Swayman starting the last two games, it is expected to be Linus Ullmark's goal in this one. He is 6-1-1 on the year with a 2.23 goals-against average and a .928 save percentage. Both of those marks are top ten in the league. Last time out he stopped 32 of 34 shots in a win.
Why The Panthers Will Win
The Panthers were missing Aleksander Barkov last time out, but he avoided a major injury and is now considered day-to-day. While he could miss this game, there is also a small chance he can play. He is second on the team in points this year, coming, sitting with six goals and 11 assists on the year. The team leader in both points and goals this year is Sam Reinhart. He comes into the game with 13 goals and 12 assists on the year, good for 25 points. That is good for ninth in the NHL this year. Reinhart also comes in with five goals and two assists on the power play this year.
Meanwhile, Matthew Tkachuk leads the team in assists on the year. He comes into the game with 14 assists on the year and three goals, good for 17 points. Five of those assists have come on the power play. Further, Evan Rodrigues has been solid for the Panthers. He comes in with three goals and ten assists on the year.
Outside the top two lines of forwards, the Bruins get help from Kevin Stenlund. He comes into the game with five goals on the season, tied for fourth on the team. He is tied with blue liner Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Ekman Larsson comes in with five goals and six assists, good for 11 points on the year.
The Panthers sit 17th in the NHL this year in scoring, with 3.17 goals per game on the year. The power play is 23rd in the NHL this year, converting at a 16.7 percent rate, and having just ten goals. The penalty kill has also struggled. Sitting 24th in the NHL this year at 75.4 percent.
It is expected to be Sergei Bobrovsky in the net today. He is coming off his ninth win of the year, and his 9-4-1 record on the year is tied for the second-best in the NHL. He also has a 2.66 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage. Last time out against the Oilers he saved 25 of 28 shots to take the win. He has lost just once this month, but that was still one of his better performances. He gave up just two goals on 27 shots in that game with the Kings, but the Panthers managed to score just one giving him the loss.
Final Bruins-Panthers Prediction & Pick
The first game between these two teams went to overtime. In that game, Linus Ullmark saved 35 shots, and while he gave up two goals in the first period, he shut out the Panthers from then on out. The game would go to overtime, where Pavel Zacha would win it. Expect a similar formula in this one. The Panthers will score early in this one, the only difference is on home ice, they will hang on to win.
Final Bruins-Panthers Prediction & Pick: Panthers ML (-102)
