The Boston Bruins and Florida Panthers meet Wednesday in Game 2 East Second Round NHL Playoffs action at the Amerant Bank Arena. Here’s a Florida Panthers vs Boston Bruins Prediction.
Boston Bruins Betting Preview
The Boston Bruins look for another road victory to take complete control of this series with a 2-0 lead. The Boston Bruins are averaging 2.88 goals per game and are scoring on 31.6 percent of their power play opportunities. Jake DeBrusk leads Boston with 4 goals, Brad Marchand has 6 assists and David Pastrnak has 27 shots on goal. Defensively, the Boston Bruins are allowing 1.63 goals per game and are killing 95.8 percent of their opponent’s power plays. Jeremy Swayman has allowed 10 goals on 220 shots faced, while Linus Ullmark has give up 3 goals on 34 shots.
Florida Panthers Betting Preview
The Florida Panthers need a bounce back performance to even up the series at 1-1. The Florida Panthers are averaging 3.5 goals per game and are scoring on 18.8 percent of their power play opportunities. Carter Verhaeghe leads Florida with 5 goals, Matthew Tkachuk has 6 assists and Sam Reinhart has 29 shots on goal. Defensively, the Florida Panthers are allowing 3.17 goals per game and are killing 81.8 percent of their opponent’s power plays. Sergei Bobrovsky has allowed 18 goals on 163 shots faced.
Florida Panthers vs Boston Bruins Injury Report
Danton Heinen is questionable for the Bruins with a lower body injury and hasn’t played since April 30. Sam Bennett is dealing with an upper body injury, but he was on the ice this week and appears to be on a fast track toward a return. Ryan Lomberg is questionable with an illness and hasn’t played since April 21.
Why the Florida Panthers will win
- The Panthers have won eight of their last nine games at Amerant Bank Arena.
- The Bruins have lost seven of their last eight Game 2s of a playoff series.
- The Panthers have covered the puck line in four of their last five night games against the Bruins following a loss.
- The Bruins have failed to cover the puck line in three of their last four night games at Amerant Bank Arena following a road win.
- The Panthers have won the second period in each of their last five Wednesday games.
Why the Boston Bruins will win
- The Bruins have won seven of their last eight games as underdogs against Atlantic Division opponents.
- The Panthers have lost each of their last three games as favorites against opponents on a winning streak.
- The underdogs have covered the puck line in each of the last eight games between the Bruins and Panthers.
- The Panthers have failed to cover the puck line in 10 of their last 11 games as home favorites against opponents on a winning streak.
- The Bruins have won the second period in each of their last five games against the Panthers.
Total Goals Facts
- Each of the Bruins’ last six road games following a road win have gone UNDER the total goals line.
- Each of the Panthers’ last four games against Atlantic Division opponents have gone OVER the total goals line.
- Three of the last four games between two teams from the Atlantic Division have gone UNDER the total goals line.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 2′ market has hit in each of the Panthers’ last six night games.
- The ‘Under 0.5 Goals Period 1′ market has hit in each of the Bruins’ last three games against Atlantic Division opponents.
Florida Panthers vs Boston Bruins Prediction
I believe the Panthers are the better team, and I still like their chances to win the series. However, I can’t justify this price and I don’t want to lay the PL in a playoff game where games are often tight. The Bruins have won 5 straight games against the Panthers and absolutely dominated game 1. The Bruins have won 7 of the last 10 games against the Panthers. While the Panthers have been great at home these last couple of years, the Bruins are 26-10-9 on the road. Again, the Panthers probably bounce back, but in terms of value, it’s with the Bruins and the plus money. That’s where I’d lean if forced to place a bet on game 2.