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The Nashville Predators continue their search for a way out of a slump this Tuesday night, as they take on the Florida Panthers on the road. It’s a tall order to beat the Panthers for Nashville, but the Preds certainly have what it takes to upstage Florida at FLA Live Arena down in Sunrise. With that said, it’s a good time to check out our NHL odds series, which includes our Predators-Panthers prediction, odds, and pick we have laid out below.
NHL odds: Predators-Panthers Odds
Predators: +1.5 (-140)
Panthers: -1.5 (+114)
Over: 6.5 (-132)
Under: -6.5 (+108)
Why the Predators Could Cover the Spread
Nashville is still stuck in a dark tunnel, as the Predators have not won in four games. The Preds are coming off a 5-3 road loss to the Carolina Hurricanes last Friday despite getting off more shots (31-30) and playing with more physicality, out-hitting the Canes by a wide margin, 35-20. Things could start to look up for the Preds, though, as they have outshot both of their last two opponents. They are 16th in the NHL in 5-on-5 CF% (49.9) and 10th in 5-on-5 PDO (100.9). While they are not among the highest-scoring teams in the league, the Predators boast of one of the best two-way defensemen in the league in the form of Roman Josi, who’s been on quite a roll.
Roman Josi leads the team with 51 points, including 38 assists, which also paces the Preds. He also has recorded eight assists in the last five Nashville games. He’s going to need some help on offense to keep up with the high-flying Panthers. Don’t be surprised if Josi and the Preds deal most of their damage against Florida while on the power play. Nashville is ninth in the NHL with a 23.84% success rate on the man advantage. Florida’s a hell of a team, but penalty killing isn’t one of its strengths. The Panthers are just 17th with a 79.25 PK%. Florida has also allowed multi-power play goals in three of its past six outings. Juuse Saros is slated to start in front of the net for the Predators, who are allowing 2.82 goals per contest. Saros this is season is 24-15-3 with a 2.49 GA/A and .923 SV%. Nashville will enter this game with a 9-3 record in its last 12 games on a Tuesday.
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Why the Panthers Could Cover the Spread
Many have tried and failed to outplay the Florida Panthers this season. Florida is just as good as any team today in the NHL. The team has the most points (76) in the Eastern Conference and second overall in the league, trailing just the Colorado Avalanche, who have 76. Florida has looked especially unstoppable of late, having gone 6-1 in its last seven games; 9-2 in the last 11; and 14-4-1 in 19 games since the calendar shifted to 2022. It’s just mostly about the offense for the Panthers this season. They are the only team that is averaging at least four goals a game. They always control the puck (55.9 CF% – No. 1 in the NHL), they are prolific in terms of generating high-danger opportunities (eighth in HDF%), and certainly have the skills to convert those shots into goals (eighth in total HDGF).
Florid has two 20-goal scorers on the top line in the forms of Aleksander Barkov (23) and Anthony Duclair (20), plus another one on the second line with Sam Bennett already scoring 21 goals this season. Nashville will have trouble keeping a high energy from start to finish against this deep Panthers offense that also features a third line that consists of three players with at least 11 goals. It’s almost easy to overlook Florida’s defense that might not be as sexy as the team’s offense but is dependable nonetheless. In fact, Florida is second-best in opponents’ high-danger scoring chance percentage (9.3). Florida has won all of its last six games that was played after just one day of rest.
Final Predators-Panthers Prediction & Pick
The Florida Panthers are just terrifying to face because of their depth and speed. At some point, the Nashville Predators are going to end their losing streak, but it won’t come in this game against a lethal Florida team that plays the puck so well with a defense that’s good enough to withstand Nashville’s middling attack.
Final Predators-Panthers Pick: Panthers -1.5 (+114)
