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The Boston Bruins and Florida Panthers meet in Game 2 of a best-of-7 Eastern Conference, 2nd-round series Wednesday. The Bruins lead the series 1-0. Puck drop from Amerant Bank Arena is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN). Below, we analyze FanDuel Sportsbook’s lines around the Lightning vs. Panthers odds, and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
Boston took down Florida in Game 1 by a score of 5-1, cashing as a (+139) road underdog. After a scoreless 1st period, LW Matthew Tkachuk gave Florida a 1-0 advantage in the 2nd. C Morgan Geekie tied it up just over a minute later thanks to some traffic created by C Pavel Zacha, who was credited with the assist along with RW David Pastrnak.
In the same period, D Mason Lohrei would go onto score the eventual game-clinching 2nd Bruins goal, the 1st career postseason goal for the 23-year-old. D Brandon Carlo managed to make it back to South Florida in time for the game after the birth of his 2nd child and also lit the lamp to make it a 3-1 game after 40 minutes.
RW Justin Brazeau, who earned a spot in the Bruins lineup for the final 3 games of the Maple Leafs series, scored his 1st career playoff goal in the 3rd period. LW Jake DeBrusk tallied Boston’s 5th and final goal with an empty-netter, and now the Bruins have won 5 straight over Florida after choking away a 3-1 lead in last year’s 1st-round series.
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Bruins at Panthers odds
Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 12:45 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Bruins +136 (bet $100 to win $136) | Panthers -164 (bet $164 to win $100)
- Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Bruins +1.5 (-192) | Panthers -1.5 (+158)
- Over/Under (O/U): 5.5 (O: -106 | U: -114)
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Bruins at Panthers projected goalies
Jeremy Swayman (5-2, 1.42 GAA, .955 SV%) vs. Sergei Bobrovsky (4-2, 3.00 GAA, .890 SV%)
Swayman completed the Toronto series with the 6th-fewest goals allowed in a single playoff series since 2003-04, joining the likes of former Bruins Stanley Cup-winning goaltender Tim Thomas. The 25-year-old has allowed 2 or fewer goals in each of his postseason starts, tied for 2nd-best in NHL history.
Bobrovsky got off to a strong start in Game 1, stopping 13 shots, including 6 high-danger chances in the 1st period. The 2-time Vezina Trophy winner recorded 6 shutouts during the regular season, tied for the most in the NHL.
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Bruins at Panthers picks and predictions
Prediction
Bruins 4, Panthers 3
Moneyline
BET BRUINS (+136).
Only 4 Boston players (David Krejci, Daniel Paille, Nathan Horton & Mirsolav Satan) in the past 30 years have recorded 3 or more game-winners in a single postseason.
LW Brad Marchand has a chance of joining that group, as the Bruins captain tallied 2 game-winners in the 1st round alone. Expect Marchand, Pastrnak & Co. to head back to Boston up 2-0.
Puck line/Against the spread
PASS.
There’s no need to risk laying that much juice grabbing a puck and a half when the plus-money underdog price is out there.
Over/Under
BET OVER 5.5 (-106).
Boston is 1st amongst Eastern Conference playoff teams when it comes to expected goals for (17.57), while it also has allowed the most shots on goal against (198). Swayman has been splendid, but it’s hard to expect C Sam Reinhart, C Carter Verhaeghe and C Aleksander Barkov to stay in check offensively.
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