:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72178732/1460574141.0.jpg "Bruins-Panthers series odds: Who is favored to win first round of 2023 NHL playoffs?")
The Boston Bruins and Florida Panthers face off in the first round of the 2023 NHL Playoffs. The Bruins are the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference while the Panthers secured the second of two wild card berths. The Bruins are massive favorites to win this series at DraftkKings Sportsbook.
2023 NHL Playoffs: Bruins vs. Panthers odds
Bruins: -320
Panthers: +250
The Bruins closed out their 2022-23 regular season with a win on Thursday and finished the year with a record-setting 65 wins and 135 points. The 2018-19 Tampa Bay Lightning and 1995-95 Detroit Red Wings previously held the wins record with 62, while the 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens previously held the points record with 132. David Pastrnak dominated with 111 points and three Bruins defensemen ranked 1-2-3 in +/- across the entire league. Add in a likely Vezina-winning season by goaltender Linus Ullmark and they are sizable favorites to take home the Stanley Cup when the playoffs end.
The Panthers barely squeezed into the playoffs, edging out the Penguins for the second wild card berth. Florida finished 42-32 with eight overtime losses. They swapped out Jonathan Huberdeau for Matthew Tkachuk last offseason, but otherwise have a similar enough team to last year's Presidents' Trophy squad that they are an interesting team. They face long odds against the best regular season team ever, but they're uniquely situated to potentially spring an upset.