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Like a gruesome, decrepit old witch mixing her weekly sorcerous brew, the NHL absolutely loves stirring the pot.
Why else would it make the Boston Bruins and Florida Panthers battle on North American opening night after bludgeoning each other in last season's playoffs?
If it's an attempt to boost ratings or simply a way for Gary Bettman to get his kicks, I'm all for it (the former, not the latter). While the Panthers vanquished the Bruins in six games, Boston had its way with Florida in last year's regular season, winning all four contests.
Three of those four games saw five goals or fewer.
However, with a clean slate in mind, our Bruins vs. Panthers prediction leans toward the Over while backing the Panthers, who are second in the Stanley Cup odds, to win on home ice.
Plus, we have a tasty player prop you'll wa nt to dive into, like Brad Marchand after being tapped on the heels with a feather.
Bruins vs. Panthers prediction
Odds via our best NHL betting sites; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale.
Best odds: -120 via Betway | Implied probability: 54.55%
Uttering the word Over when discussing a Bruins-Panthers game feels taboo, like saying Matthew Tkachuk will go through an entire contest without pissing someone off.
But here I am, not only saying it but wagering on it, too.
Jeremy Swayman, the under-two-goal man, has signed an eight-year, $66 million deal. Hooray for the Bruins! The angst and tension is over in Beantown. While Bruins' fans jump for joy, and so they should, they'll be without their star netminder in the season opener.
That means the crease is all&nbs p;Joonas Korpisalo's.
The former Ottawa Senators' goaltender (speaking of jumping for joy) had a subpar .890 save percentage and a bee-sting-swollen 3.27 goals against average last season. While he did play for one of the league's worst defenses (tied for the fifth-most goals against per game), Korpisalo didn't exactly stand on his head.
Did the chicken come before the egg, or vice versa?
The same argument goes for Korpisalo and the Senators. We'll soon find out which came first when former Bruins netminder Linus Ullmark tries to rescue the Sens.
“Enough Senator bashing already,” bellows the readers.
Point taken.
I'll keep my finger pointing aimed directly at Korpisalo, who, while still with the Sens, allowed 14 goals on 115 shots against the Panthers last season. That's a .878 save percent age, even below his season average.
Oh, and the Panthers chased him from the crease after scoring four goals on 17 shots. That April 17 performance was his worst in a four-loss Panthers sample size.
A $10 winning bet will profit $8.33.
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Bruins vs. Panthers player prop bet
Best odds: +135 via Betway | Implied probability: 42.55%
Due to the high percentage of low-scoring games between the Bruins and Panthers, few players consistently put up gaudy numbers. Evan Rodrigues has played some of his best hockey against the Bruins, and he hit the Over on this prop in two of four head-to-head encounters last season.
The speedy left winger offers the best value for this particular encounter.
It's also likely that he'll be playing on a line with Tkachuk and Sam Bennett, which sounds mighty fine to me.
Rodrigues averaged three shots per game last season against Boston, and his plus-money odds are too appealing to resist. A winning $10 bet will profit $13.50.
Bruins vs. Panthers live odds & info
- When: Tuesday, Oct. 8
- Puck drop: 7 p.m. ET
- Where: Amerant Bank Arena (Sunrise, Fla.)
- How to watch: ESPN, ESPN+
- Favorite: Panthers (-150 via bet365)
Bruins-Panthers predictions made Monday at 3 p.m. ET.
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