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The defending Stanely Cup Champions take the ice as the Boston Bruins visit the Florida Panthers. It is time to continue our NHL odds series with a Bruins-Panthers prediction and pick.
It was another solid year for the Boston Bruins last year. Last year the Bruins were 47-20-15, good for second in the Atlantic Division and an eighth straight playoff birth. They would face the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round, winning the series 4-3. For the second straight year, the Bruins would face the Panthers in the playoffs. For the second straight year, the Bruins season would end at the hand of the Panthers, falling 4-2 in the series.
Meanwhile, the Panthers went 52-24-6 last season, making the playoffs for a fifth straight year. After making the playoffs as the eighth seed in 2023, they would upset the Bruins in the first round, and make it to the Stanley Cup Finals, where they fell to the Golden Knights. In 2024, they would return to the playoffs, this time as the top seed from the Atlantic division. The Panthers would defeat the Lightning, Bruins, and Rangers on their way back to the Stanley Cup Finals. There, they would take home the cup after a seven-game series.
Here are the NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NHL Odds: Bruins-Panthers Odds
Boston Bruins: +1.5 (-205)
Moneyline: +126
Florida Panthers: -1.5 (+168)
Moneyline: -152
Over: 5.5 (-110)
Under: 5.5 (-110)
How To Watch Bruins vs Panthers
Time: 7:00 PM ET/ 4:00 PM PT
TV: ESPN
Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)
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Why the Bruins Could Cover the Spread/Win
Elias Lindholm joins the Boston Bruins this year. Lindholm will be joining the top line with Pavel Zacha and David Pastrnak. Lindholm played for the Flames and Canucks last year. He scored 15 goals with 29 assists last year for the two teams. Pastrnak was solid last year for the Bruins. He has 47 goals with 63 assists for 110 points to lead the team. Further, he had 12 goals and 23 assists on the power play last year. Pavel Zacha had 21 goals, 38 assists, and 59 total points last year.
Brand Marchand and Charlie Coyle sit on the second line. Marchand had 29 goals and 38 assists last year, good for 67 total points, second on the team. He also has seven goals and 19 assists on the power play. Coyle scored 25 times last year with 35 assists, good for 60 points, third on the team. Finally, they bring back top defenseman Charlie McAvoy. He scored 12 times last year while having 35 assists on the year.
After trading off Linus Ullmark in the offseason, the Bruins will have Joonas Korpisalo and Jeremy Swayman in goal this year. Korpisalo will get the first nod in goal. He went 21-26-4 last year in Ottawa while having a 3.27 goals-against average and a .890 save percentage.
Why the Panthers Could Cover the Spread/Win
The Panthers bring back their top guys from last year's Cup team. Sam Reinhart comes back to lead the first line. Last year he led the team with 57 goals while adding 37 assists, good for 94 total points. He scored 27 times on the power play with seven power-play assists. He also had five shorthanded goals last year. He will be joined on the top line by Carter Verhaeghe and Aleksander Barkov. Barkov had 23 goals with 57 assists last year, good for 80 points, third on the team. Verhaeghe had 34 goals and 38 assists last year, good for 72 points, fourth on the team. Furthermore, Barkov had 24 assists on the power play, while Verhaeghe had eight goals and 13 assists on the power play.
The second line will be led by Matthew Tkachuk. He scored 26 goals last year with 62 assists. He led the team in assists while sitting second on the team with 88 points. Further, he has six goals and 26 assists on the power play. He will be joined by Evan Rodrigues and Sam Bennett. Rodrigues had 12 goals and 27 assists last year, good for 39 total points. Meanwhile, Bennett had 20 goals and 21 assists last year.
Sergei Bobrovsky is expected to be in goal for the Panthers in this one. He was 36-17-4 last year with a 2.37 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage. Further, he had six shutouts last year. Bobrovsky was tied for third in wins, third in goals against average, tied for seventh in save percentage, and tied for first in shutouts.
Final Bruins-Panthers Prediction & Pick
The odds in this Bruins-Panthers game favor the defending Stanley Cup Champion. While the Bruins have a solid power play unit, and two full lines of scoring, the Panthers match with the same. Further, the Bruins will be sending Joonas Korpisalo to the net for his first start with the team. He came over the in trade that sent Linus Ullmark to the Senators. Korpisalo is a solid goaltender, but not the same level as Ullmark, Jeremy Swayman, or Panthers netminder Sergie Bobrovsky. That will be the difference in this one as the Panthers take the win in their first game in a quest to defend the Cup.
Final Bruins-Panthers Prediction & Pick: Panthers ML (-152)
