Panthers vs. Bruins prediction and odds for NHL playoffs Game 2

A Presidents Trophy winner hasn’t made a conference final since 2014-2015, but the Boston Bruins are trying to break that streak.

They took a 1-0 lead over the Florida Panthers in the opening round of the NHL Playoffs and will try to extend that lead to 2-0 tonight.

The Panthers put up a fight, but eventually fell by a final score of 3-1.

Do they have a chance to even the series as big underdogs in Boston tonight? Let’s dive into the betting odds.

Panthers vs. Bruins odds, puck line, and total

Panthers vs. Bruins prediction and pick

The score doesn’t indicate just how close Game 1 of this series was. In fact, the Panthers largely outplayed the Bruins when it was 5-on-5. Florida racked up 15 high-danger scoring chances while Boston had only 9.

If you look at the advanced analytic “expected goals”, the Panthers had 3.04 expected goals during 5-on-5 play vs the Bruins who had only 1.94.

Special teams was a big problem for Florida, managing zero shots on goals in four minutes of powerplay, while allowing the Bruins to score a goal in just three minutes of ice time with a man advantage.

Still, the point stands. The Panthers hung with the Bruins from a statistics standpoint from start to finish, but yet are massive underdogs in Game 2 tonight. If you think tonight’s game is going to be similar to Game 1, then the Panthers have a ton of betting value.

I’m not brave enough to take their moneyline, but the +1.5 puck line seems enticing. Florida can do enough to keep this game close.

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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.