It's one of the most wonderful times of the year as playoff hockey continues with an epic Game 3 showdown between the Boston Bruins and the Florida Panthers in the Sunshine State. Join us for our NHL odds series where our Bruins-Panthers prediction and pick will be revealed.
After going an absurd 65-12-5 during the regular season, it ended up being the Boston Bruins who lost in shocking fashion on Wednesday by a score of 6-3 on their home ice. While the competitiveness of playoff hockey remains at an all-time high, the Bruins are hopeful that the hiccup in Game 2 won't be something that carries over for Friday night's contest.
As for the Panthers, Florida could not have played any better offensively as they snuck a whopping six goals past the probable Vezina Trophy winner in Linus Ullmark. After being held to only one goal in the opening game of the series, Florida has obviously shown that they won't lay down and have the Bruins have their way in this first-round series.
Here are the Bruins-Panthers NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NHL Playoffs Odds: Bruins-Panthers Odds
Boston Bruins: -1.5 (+152)
Florida Panthers: +1.5 (-184)
Over: 6.5 (+102)
Under: 6.5 (-124)
How To Watch Bruins vs. Panthers
TV: TNT
Stream: TNT App
Time: 7:30 ET/4:30 PT
*Watch NHL games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Bruins Could Cover The Spread
Arguably enough, it was the Bruins that ended up having one of the more dominant regular season campaigns in NHL history, as their extreme balance both on the offensive and defensive side of the ice was a sight to behold.
Nevertheless, despite the shocking revelations that took place in Game 2, it is important to keep in mind how dominant Boston has been whenever they have been ruled as the favorites this season. In fact, the Bruins have won 80% of their games this season when they have been favored to cover the spread and when they are money-line favorites. Above all else, the key players within the Boston locker room to keep an eye on for is the iron man himself in David Pastrnak. Not only has Pastrnak missed a game for the Bruins this season, but he is obviously Boston's most dangerous attacker with 113 total points. Even more impressively, the Bruins had a +34 goal-differential whenever Pastrnak graced the ice.
In addition to Boston's top-skaters needing to show out in big way, it will be vital for the Bruins to bounce-back and lessen the amount of time that they spend in the penalty box. By the end of Wednesday night's disheartening loss, Boston tallied up sixty penalty minutes and could not get into their usual high-octane offensive rhythm by being shorthanded a majority of the night. Despite the fact that Florida went 0/3 on those power-play opportunities, being sloppy and committing a slew of penalties is not a winning formula for the Bruins.
Why The Panthers Could Cover The Spread
In what may have been the biggest statement win in all of the Stanley Cup Playoffs up to this point, it is safe to say that the Panthers have officially gotten their swagger back. Remember, it was only a year ago that Florida captured the President's Trophy with the NHL's best record, and despite taking a slight step backward this season, the Boston Bruins cannot afford to overlook the Panthers in Game 3.
In order to cover the +1.5 spread as underdogs heading into Friday night, another repeated effort of a strong third period would do wonders. Entering the final period of Game 2 tied at two-goals apiece, the Panthers eventually ended up finding a whole other great as they found the back of the Boston net for four goals in stunning fashion. Without a doubt, it would not be surprising to see the Panthers picking up right where they left off by clicking on all cylinders from the get-go, but finding a plethora of scoring chances in the third period of Game 3 will ultimately be the deciding factor yet again.
Above all else, despite Florida humming offensively on Wednesday, the star of Game 2 was arguably goalie Alex Lyon who stopped 34 of 37 shots on goal and will most likely get the starting nod once again on Friday. Just when it seemed that the two-time Vezina award winner in Sergei Bobrovsky might end up getting the start in net in Game 3, it is hard to imagine that Lyon doesn't get another crack at it with an opportunity to send the team to take a 2-1 series lead. Most importantly, if Lyon can slow down a Bruins offense the averages 3.66 goals per contest, then the red-hot Florida offense can surely take care of the rest.
Final Bruins-Panthers Prediction & Pick
While the Panthers dominating win over the Bruins on the road was a glaring wake-up call to the rest of the hockey world, it would be a wise bet to wager upon Boston to bounce back and silence what should be a hectic Florida home-playoff atmosphere.
Final Bruins-Panthers Prediction & Pick: Bruins -1.5 (+152)
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