Panthers vs. Bruins Game 3 Prediction: Stanley Cup Playoff Odds
The Eastern Conference semifinal playoff series between the Bruins and Panthers shifts to Boston for Game 3 on Friday with it tied 1-1. The Panthers are -125 favourites on the NHL odds with a total of 5.5 goals.
Panthers vs. Bruins NHL Betting Odds
Boston was 24-11-6 at home during the regular season and 2-0 vs. Florida, which was 26-11-4 away during the year. In these playoffs, the Bruins are 3-1 at home and have allowed only seven goals – all against Toronto in Round 1. Florida split two games in Tampa in the first round.
With Florida evening the series thanks to a 6-1 blowout win in Game 2 on Wednesday, it is now the -175 series favourite (was +105 entering Game 2) and Boston +150 (was -125). The favoured exact result is Panthers in six at +310, but I lean seven at +333. The long shot is Bruins in five at +750. That the series ends in five games is +260, six +155 and seven also +155. On the series game spread, Florida at -1.5 is +145 and Boston +1.5 games is -175.
The first two games were each blowouts so obviously no overtime. That there will be no games in the series without OT is +170, but one game is the +130 favourite. There hasn’t been a shutout yet, either, and that there aren’t any in the series is a -165 favourite.
Florida Panthers
Florida avoided its first back-to-back losses of this postseason with a 6-1 blowout victory in Game 2 on Wednesday as the Cats clearly shook off the rust from the 5-1 loss in the opener and played with much more aggression. They outshot the Bruins 33-15 and outhit them while killing off all three Boston power plays. Florida was 1-for-6 with the man advantage and got a short-handed goal from Brandon Montour. Teams should never lose in the playoffs when scoring on the power play and short-handed. Aleksander Barkov was the No. 1 star with two goals and two assists, while Sam Reinhart had four assists (franchise playoff record) and Montour that goal and two helpers. Barkov has 10 points over the past three games, a franchise playoff record and only the third player in team history with at least eight over a three-game span. Barkov had his 12th multi-point game of the postseason to tie Verhaeghe for the most in Panthers history. After a very shaky Game 1, Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 14 of 15 shots in Game 2.
Boston Bruins
Boston did jump out to a 1-0 lead in Game 2 on Charlie Coyle’s first goal of these playoffs at 12:12 of the first period, but then the wheels fell off starting in the second and the Panthers would end up scoring six unanswered goals for the first time in franchise playoff history. Brad Marchand had an assist on the Coyle goal and became the ninth player in league history to reach the 10-point mark in a postseason nine or more times in his career. Goaltender Jeremy Swayman had been spectacular this postseason and among the Conn Smythe Trophy favourites, but he was pulled Wednesday after allowing four goals on 23 shots and replaced by Linus Ullmark early in the third period. Swayman had not allowed more than two goals in these playoffs, but it might be Ullmark’s turn in Game 3 as he did rotate games with Swayman during the regular season. Forward Danton Heinen (36 regular-season points) missed a fourth straight game with an undisclosed injury.
FLA
BOS