The Boston Bruins (42-13-12) visit the Florida Panthers (33-26-7) Thursday at BB&T Center for a 7 p.m. ET puck drop. We analyze the Bruins-Panthers sports betting odds and lines, while providing NHL betting tips and picks around this matchup.
Bruins at Panthers: Projected starting goalies
Jaroslav Halak vs. Sergei Bobrovsky
Halak allowed three goals on just eight shots Feb. 22 against the Vancouver Canucks, but he bounced back last Thursday to stop 31 of 34 shots in a win over the Dallas Stars. He’s 17-6-6 on the season with a .917 save percentage and 2.44 goals against average.
Bobrovsky is expected to make his return from a lower-body injury. He is 23-19-6 with a .900 SV% and 3.23 GAA through 48 starts and two relief appearances.
Place a sports bet on this hockey action or other games at BetMGM.
Bruins at Panthers: Odds, picks and betting tips
Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full list.
Odds last updated at 8:55 a.m. ET.
Prediction
Bruins 5, Panthers 2
Moneyline (ML)
The BRUINS (-154) roll into Thursday on a three-game winning streak to remain atop the Atlantic Division. They doubled up the second-place Tampa Bay Lightning by a 2-1 score Tuesday. The Panthers (+125) are home underdogs after losing three in a row. They were blanked 3-0 at home by the Calgary Flames Sunday.
The season series is split 1-1 thus far, with the Panthers winning 5-4 in a shootout in Boston Nov. 12. The Bruins bounced back with a 4-2 win in Florida Dec. 14. The Bruins are 20-10-3 on the road for the season, while the Panthers are a pedestrian 16-14-3 on home ice. Take the visitors, even if Bobrovsky makes his return.
Puck Line/Against the Spread (ATS)
Boost your profit margin by backing the BRUINS (-1.5, +165) to win by at least 2 goals, as they did in the more recent head-to-head meeting. The Bruins are just 16-17 ATS on the road for the season, but the Panthers are a woeful 12-21 ATS at home.
Three of Florida’s last four losses were decided by at least a 2-goal margin. Boston blanked the New York Islanders 4-0 on the road Saturday ahead of Tuesday’s tight affair with the Lightning.
Over/Under (O/U)
Play the OVER 5.5 (-149). Halak is the lesser half of the Bruins’ goaltending duo with Tuukka Rask, and he may show some rust after a full week off. Bobrovsky has been shaky at his best this season, and he’s had nearly a week between starts. The Bruins had scored four goals in back-to-back games before being slowed down by the Lightning Tuesday.
Esten’s NHL betting record: 269-249
Want some action in this one? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.
Follow @EstenMcLaren and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.
Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.
[lawrence-newsletter]
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=2059]