The Boston Bruins are one game away from eliminating the Florida Panthers. The NHL's best home team is back in Boston for game five, looking to move on the in playoffs. It is time to continue our NHL odds series with a Panthers-Bruins game five prediction, pick, and how to watch.
The Bruins took both games on the road, outscoring the Panthers 10-4 in the process. Taylor Hall has led the way for the Bruins, picking up seven points in four games, and the Bruins' offense has been on a roll. Game four saw a near fight as Matthew Tkachuk and Linus Ullmark nearly got into a huge brawl, with the Bruins goalie even dropping the gloves to go. The Panthers are going to need to have a little more of that fire in this one if they expect to win and get the series back to Florida.
Here are the Panthers-Bruins NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NHL Playoffs Odds: Panthers-Bruins Odds
Florida Panthers: +1.5 (-132)
Boston Bruins: -1.5 (+110)
Over: 6.5 (+100)
Under: 6.5 (-132)
How To Watch Panthers vs. Bruins
TV: ESPN
Stream: NHLPP/ESPN+
Time: 7:00 PM ET/ 4:00 PM PT
*Watch NHL games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Panthers Could Cover The Spread
Like game one of the series, the Panthers did a lot of good things in games three and four. In game three they shut down the Bruins Power play and also got 31 shots on net. The Bruins controlled the ice and ultimately got the win. Game four was even better. The Panthers outshot the Bruins 44-31 in the game. They have a very high Corsi number, showing they controlled puck flow throughout the game. They scored on the power play but did let in two power-play goals. Those two goals were too much to overcome though, as the Panthers fell 6-2.
First, they need to score first, preferably in the first period. In the series, the Bruins have scored in the first period and had the first goal on the board in three games. The Panthers have lost all three of those. The Panthers are yet to score a goal in the first period, and only scored the first goal of the game once, which resulted in their game-two win. Secondly, they need others to step up. The Panthers were sixth in scoring in the regular season. Tkachuk has answered the bell to some degree, with five points and two goals in the series. The other two leading scorers from the season, Aleksander Barkov and Carter Verhaeghe have a combined four points and just one goal. They need help from their other two primary scorers if they are going to get a win.
Finally, the Panthers need a goalie to step up. Sergei Bobrovsky has given up a goals-against average of 5.54 on the series, allowing six goals on 39 shots. His .846 save percentage is not good enough to get wins. Alex Lyon has been bad as well. He has a save percentage of .902 on the series and allows a goals-against average of 3.26. His only win of the series was also the only time he was over .900 in save percentage on the series.
Why The Bruins Could Cover The Spread
The Bruins are dominating so far this series. They have scored 16 goals in just four games, and now the goalie play is starting to pick up as well. They have been over 30 shots in three of four games on the series and scored on the power play in three of four as well. Game four was the first time they let in a powerplay goal all series and was also their worst Corsi number of the series. They dominated faceoffs in that game though, winning 66% of them.
The big thing for the Bruins has been production from multiple lines. The first line has Jake Debrust who is third on the team in the playoffs with five points. Tyler Bertuzzi sits on the second line, and he has six points in the series. Then, Taylor Hall sits on the third line, and he leads the team with seven points in the series. Combined, the three guys have scored nine goals, plus Brad Marchand has put in three, and David Pastrnak has scored twice. The Bruins simply have too many guys who can score to be stopped.
Linus Ullmark had another great game in game four. He has been over .930 in save percentage in three of four games this series. In game four, it was a 41 save on 43 shot night. Still, that's not the best of the series for him, as he saved 31 of 32 in game one. Ullmark has been fantastic for most of the series. He did have a letdown game, but that is an abnormality, not the regular.
Final Panthers-Bruins Prediction & Pick
The Panthers just do not have enough firepower. The Bruins can score from every line they put out, while the Panthers cannot. The Panthers also do not have the level of goaltending that the Bruins have. The Bruins had the best goaltender on the season in Linus Ullmark, and he kept that going in game four of the playoffs. Getting a puck past him is next to impossible. The Bruins are the best team at home in the season, and with that, they get another win.
Final Panthers-Bruins Prediction & Pick: Bruins -1.5 (+110)
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