The Florida Panthers and Boston Bruins meet Friday in Game 6 East Second Round NHL Playoffs action at the TD Garden. Here’s a Boston Bruins vs Florida Panthers Prediction.
Florida Panthers Betting Preview
The Florida Panthers look to make back-to-back conference final appearances with a victory. The Panthers are 3-1 on the road in these NHL playoffs. The Florida Panthers are averaging 3.7 goals per game and are scoring on 23.7 percent of their power play opportunities. Carter Verhaeghe leads Florida with 6 goals, Matthew Tkachuk has 9 assists and Sam Reinhart has 46 shots on goal. Defensively, the Florida Panthers are allowing 2.6 goals per game and are killing 85.3 percent of their opponent’s power plays. Sergei Bobrovsky has allowed 25 goals on 241 shots faced.
Boston Bruins Betting Preview
The Boston Bruins look for back-to-back wins to save their season and force a game 7 on Sunday. The Bruins are 2-4 at home in these NHL playoffs. The Boston Bruins are averaging 2.5 goals per game and are scoring on 22.6 percent of their power play opportunities. Jake DeBrusk leads Boston with 5 goals, Brad Marchand has 7 assists and David Pastrnak has 36 shots on goal. Defensively, the Boston Bruins are allowing 2.42 goals per game and are killing 84.8 percent of their opponent’s power plays. Jeremy Swayman has allowed 23 goals on 345 shots faced, while Linus Ullmark has give up 5 goals on 44 shots.
Boston Bruins vs Florida Panthers Injury Report
Brad Marchand is questionable for the Bruins with an upper body injury. Matthew Poitras and Milan Lucic are out for the season for the Bruins. Ryan Lomberg is the only player out for the Panthers, as he deals with an illness and hasn’t played since April 21.
Why the Florida Panthers will win
- The Panthers have won each of their last four night games following a loss.
- The Bruins have lost four of their last five games at TD Garden.
- The Panthers have covered the puck line in each of their last four night games following a loss.
- The Bruins have failed to cover the puck line in eight of their last 10 home games against Eastern Conference opponents.
- The Panthers have won the second period in each of their last four games as road favorites.
Boston Bruins Player Prop Facts
- David Pastrnak has recorded at least one point in each of the Bruins’ last nine Friday games against Eastern Conference opponents.
- Milan Lucic has scored a goal in four of his last five appearances in night Game 6s of a playoff series.
- Brad Marchand has recorded an assist in four of his last five appearances against the Panthers after playing less than 20 minutes in the Bruins’ last game.
- Brandon Carlo has scored two goals against the Panthers this season – equal-most against any opponent.
Florida Panthers Player Prop Facts
- Evan Rodrigues has recorded at least one assist in five of his six previous playoff appearances with his team as a road favorite.
- Sam Bennett has recorded at least one point in each of his last seven appearances with the Panthers as road favorites.
- Sam Reinhart has scored at least one goal in eight of the Panthers’ last 10 games as road favorites.
- Sam Reinhart ranks 1st in the league for Power Play Goals (27) this season.
Matchup/League Facts
- The Boston Bruins rank T5th in the league for goals against per game this season (2.70).
- The Boston Bruins rank 7th in the league in penalty kill percentage this season (82.46%).
- The Florida Panthers rank T1st in the league for goals against per game this season (2.41).
- The Florida Panthers rank 6th in the league in penalty kill percentage this season (82.47%).
Boston Bruins vs Florida Panthers Prediction
You would think the Boston Bruins and plus money at home would be a good spot, especially with them winning 6 of the last 9 games against the Panthers. However, the Bruins have been terrible at home in these playoffs, where they’ve lost 4 of their 6 games. The Florida Panthers have been the more consistent team no matter where they play, and their last two playoff losses have been followed up by 6–1 victories. The Panthers are just the better, more talented team, no matter how you slice it, and the fact the Bruins haven’t played well at home doesn’t do much for me in this spot.
Give me the Panthers and the reasonable price, as Florid makes the conference final for a second straight season.