The Wild Card Florida Panthers try to knock off Goliath in the top-seeded Boston Bruins Monday in Game 1 of their 1st-round series at TD Garden. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Panthers vs. Bruins odds, and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
After winning the Presidents’ Trophy for the top team in the regular season last year, the Panthers enter as a +275 underdog to win the series. This is a different Panthers club with more physicality up front and less certainty down low. They were 6th in scoring at 3.5 goals per game and 21st allowing 3.3 goals per game. Florida actually handed Boston an overtime loss and 1 of their 12 regulation losses this season.
Boston put it all together this year, ranking 2nd with 3.7 goals per game. They boasted the top defense at 2.1 goals per game and the best penalty kill at 87.3%. The Bruins were even tougher at home, going 34-4-3. Boston has won 6 of the last 9, dating back to 2019, but went 1-1-1 against Florida this year.
Panthers at Bruins odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 9:47 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Panthers +180 (bet $100 to win $225) | Bruins -225 (bet $225 to win $100)
- Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Panthers +1.5 (-140) | Bruins -1.5 (+115)
- Over/Under (O/U): 6.5 (O: +100 | U: -120)