Florida Panthers (56-25-6) vs Boston Bruins (51-22-16)
Game Info: Monday, May 6, 2024 at 8:00 pm (Amerant Bank Arena)
Betting Odds: Florida Panthers -175 / Boston Bruins +150 --- Over/Under: 5.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds
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In this article we will formulate a Boston Bruins vs Florida Panthers prediction for game 1 on Monday, May 6th at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida. To formulate this prediction for game one in the series, we will examine:
- The Bruins recent form and recent player performance
- The Panthers recent form and recent play performance
- Recent Betting trends and streaks involving Boston
- Recent Betting trends and streaks involving Florida
- Recent betting trends in games played between Boston and Florida
- A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for Today’s Game between Boston and Florida
Bruins on a Quick Turnaround
The Boston Bruins were able to defeat the Toronto Maple Leafs in seven games in the first round, winning game seven by a score of 2-1 in overtime on Saturday night. The Bruins won’t have much time to recover from that series, as they only have one day off between game seven and game one. Boston led 3-1 after game four, but they struggled to score in the last three games, scoring just four goals combined in games five, six, and seven. The offense did struggle in the first round, but they were very good defensively and had great goaltending from Swayman.
Boston finished second in the Atlantic division and they lost three out of their last four games in the regular season, which dropped them from first to second in the division. The Bruins are scoring 2.57 goals per game, while going 35.3% on the power play and 95.2% on the penalty kill in the first round. Brad Marchand led Boston with three goals, five assists, and 16 shots on goal, while Pastrnak and DeBrusk have also added three goals.
Panthers are Well Rested
The Florida Panthers took care of the Tampa Bay Lightning in five games in the first round, and they have been off since April 29th, when they won 6-1 to win the series. Florida won games one, two, three, and five by scores of 3-2, 3-2, 5-3, and 6-1, but they did lose game four by a score of 6-3 on the road. Florida played very well in the first round, but they were bailed out by great goaltending by Bobrovsky at times.
Florida ended up passing Boston at the end of the regular season to finish first in the Atlantic division, and they won four games in a row to end the season. The Panthers are scoring 4.00 goals per game, while going 23.1% on the power play and 80% on the penalty kill. Matthew Tkachuk and Carter Verhaeghe led the Panthers with nine points in the first round, while Sam Reinhart added three goals.
Starting Goalies
The projected starting goalie for Boston is Jeremy Swayman, who is 4-2-0 with a 1.49 goals against average and a .950 save percentage so far this postseason. Linus Ullmark is also a great goaltender, but I think Swayman is the better choice. The projected starting goalie for Florida is Sergei Bobrovsky, who is 4-1-0 with a 2.78 goals against average and an .896 save percentage this postseason.
Florida Panthers Player Prop Facts
- Carter Verhaeghe has scored at least one goal in each of the Panthers' last five games as favorites.
- Matthew Tkachuk has recorded at least one assist in each of the Panthers' last six games as favorites against Eastern Conference opponents.
- Matthew Tkachuk has recorded at least one point in each of the Panthers' last nine playoff games against Eastern Conference opponents.
- Sam Reinhart ranks 1st in the league for Power Play Goals (27) this season.
Boston Bruins Player Prop Facts
- David Pastrnak has scored at least one goal in five of the Bruins' last six night games at Amerant Bank Arena.
- Brad Marchand has recorded at least one point in each of his last nine Monday appearances against Atlantic Division opponents.
- Brandon Carlo has recorded an assist in each of the Bruins' last four playoff games against the Panthers.
- Charlie McAvoy has scored three goals against the Panthers this season - most against any opponent.
Matchup/League Facts
- 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%).
- 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%).
Boston Bruins vs Florida Panthers Prediction
Boston comes into this game just two days after their game seven win against Toronto, but that may play to their advantage. Florida has been off for a long time and it may take them a period or two to get back into rhythm. I do think Florida is the better team in this series and they have been strong at home, but I think Boston will ride that momentum from their game seven win to another win here. My Boston Bruins vs Florida Panthers prediction is for the Bruins to get the win in game one.
David’s Pick Bruins ML
AUTHOR: David Racey
Mitch's Take...
