The Florida Panthers and New York Islanders continue their Eastern Conference qualifying round series Friday for Game 4 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. Puck drop is set for noon p.m. ET. We analyze the Panthers-Islanders’ NHL betting odds and lines, with picks and best bets.
Series: Islanders lead 2-1.
Panthers vs. Islanders: Projected starting goalies
Sergei Bobrovsky vs. Semyon Varlamov
Bobrovsky allowed two goals on 22 shots in Game 3 Wednesday, as the Panthers were able to stave off elimination in the second end of a back-to-back. Now, they’ve had a full day to rest to prepare for Game 4. If they’re able to rattle off another victory, then the pressure will be squarely on the Islanders after it looked like they were going to cruise to a series win. Bobrovsky is 1-2 with a 2.72 goals against average and .905 save percentage in the series so far.
Varlamov had his least impressive game of the series in Game 3, allowing three goals on 22 shots. Perhaps the back-to-back was just too much, and during the regular season it’s not something he would normally be dealing with. Thomas Greiss has yet to appear in the series, but if Varlamov struggles in Game 4, it wouldn’t be surprising to see coach Barry Trotz make a change. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and the Isles would really be in a pickle with a fast Florida start.
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Panthers vs. Islanders: Odds, picks and betting tips
Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access them at USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Odds last updated Thursday at 5:10 p.m. ET.
Prediction
Islanders 3, Panthers 2
Moneyline (ML)
The ISLANDERS (+110) remain in the driver’s seat, and they’ll finally polish off the pesky Panthers (-129) after a scare. In fact, it wouldn’t be surprising in the least to see Florida leading this one for a while. However, look for New York to take over in the third period and finally put the final nail in the coffin of the Cats, moving along to the Eastern quarterfinals.
New to sports betting? A $10 bet on the Islanders to win on the moneyline nets a profit of $11.
Puck Line/Against the Spread (ATS)
I’ve typed this before: “Putting a team away in the playoffs is one of the most difficult things to do in hockey.” At no point in Game 3 did either side lead by more than one goal, and you can expect another tight Game 4. The Islanders are +1.5, -278, while the Panthers are -1.5, +220. AVOID the puck line in this potential seesaw affair.
Over/Under (O/U)
UNDER 5 (+120) is the play, as the Panthers might be playing a bit tight in the early going, and the Islanders aren’t going to want to take a lot of chances, giving Florida a chance to get numbers going back the other way. We’ll see tight checking, a marginal amount of shots and very few high-danger scoring chances. That’s a great recipe for the Under.
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