The Wild Card Florida Panthers try to knock off Goliath in the top-seeded Boston Bruins Monday in Game 1 of their 1st-round series at TD Garden. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Panthers vs. Bruins odds, and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
After winning the Presidents’ Trophy for the top team in the regular season last year, the Panthers enter as a +275 underdog to win the series. This is a different Panthers club with more physicality up front and less certainty down low. They were 6th in scoring at 3.5 goals per game and 21st allowing 3.3 goals per game. Florida actually handed Boston an overtime loss and 1 of their 12 regulation losses this season.
Boston put it all together this year, ranking 2nd with 3.7 goals per game. They boasted the top defense at 2.1 goals per game and the best penalty kill at 87.3%. The Bruins were even tougher at home, going 34-4-3. Boston has won 6 of the last 9, dating back to 2019, but went 1-1-1 against Florida this year.
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Panthers at Bruins odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 9:47 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Panthers +180 (bet $100 to win $180) | Bruins -225 (bet $225 to win $100)
- Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Panthers +1.5 (-140) | Bruins -1.5 (+115)
- Over/Under (O/U): 6.5 (O: +100 | U: -120)
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Panthers at Bruins projected goalies
Alex Lyon (9-4-2, 2.89 GAA, .914 SV%, 1 SO – reg. season) vs. Linus Ullmark (40-6-1, 1.89 GAA, .938 SV%, 2 SO – reg. season)
The 30-year-old Lyon took over when Sergei Bobrovsky dealt with a nasty illness March 29 and hasn’t looked back. Lyon went 4-1-1 with a 1.83 GAA and .946 SV% in 6 April starts. He beat Boston in a 4-3 overtime win Jan. 28, stopping 38 of 40 shots. We could see Bobrovsky again, but it appears to be Lyon’s show for now.
Ullmark had one of the best goalie seasons in recent memory in an era where scoring is up. There might be some worry of rust because he has only played 3 games this month; albeit he still had a 2.06 GAA and .933 SV%. He was 2-0 with a 3.01 GAA and .925 SV% against the Panthers this season.
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Panthers at Bruins picks and predictions
Prediction
Bruins 4, Panthers 1
Moneyline
The Panthers are a little bit of a wild card because they took the most shots at 36.8 per game while the Bruins allowed the 9th-fewest at 33.0 per game. Some of those could eventually trickle in. Not in Game 1, though, as Boston is battle-tested.
PASS on the moneyline and look to the spread.
Puck line/Against the spread
Two of the 3 meetings this year and 6 of the last 9 were decided by 2 or more goals. The Bruins were 21-20 on the puck line at home, but that’s not terrible considering they were likely favored in all of them and had to win by more than 1. The Bruins were 9-1-0 down the stretch and should take control of this one and not look back.
Take the BRUINS -1.5 (+115).
Over/Under
The total will be tricky because we’re dealing with a record-setting team against Lyon, who has 31 career starts under his belt. The Panthers were 2-4-4 O/U down the stretch, and Boston was 6-4. All 3 games went Over in the regular season. I, however, will LEAN UNDER 6.5 (-120).
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