Panthers vs Bruins Game 1 Odds, Lines & Predictions

• The Boston Bruins host the Florida Panthers in Game 1 of their NHL playoff series
• The Bruins finished atop the NHL standings while the Panthers claimed the second wild card in the East
• Read on for all the odds and trends ahead of Monday night’s matchup at TD Garden

The Boston Bruins will be aiming to carry over their winning ways into the postseason when they open their first-round playoff series with the upstart Florida Panthers on Monday night.

The Bruins capped a record-setting campaign with eight straight wins to close out their schedule, and have played smothering defense while tallying four straight victories on home ice. The Panthers made up for a dismal first half to their season with a strong run down the stretch, highlighted by a season-high six-game win streak that featured four straight road wins to open the month of April.

Start time is set for 7:30pm ET at TD Garden, with all the action televised on NESN, Bally Sports – Florida, and Sportsnet.

Panthers vs Bruins Game 1 Odds

In addition to being perched as heavy -320 favorites in the NHL playoff series prices, the Bruins have emerged as -225 chalk in Monday’s NHL odds. The Panthers lag as +180 underdogs, and the total is listed at 6.5, with the UNDER shortening to -120.

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Panthers vs Bruins Recent History

Monday night’s matchup marks the fifth overall meeting of the season between these Atlantic Division rivals. These clubs split four dates during the regular season, with the home team emerging victorious in each of those contests.

However, the Bruins have held the edge in head-to-head action in recent years, winning six of nine clashes with Florida since November 2019 including four straight on home ice. The OVER paid out in each of this season’s four matchups, with these clubs combining to score an average of 8.0 goals per game.

Florida Panthers Betting Outlook

After being written off midseason as a team destined to miss the playoffs, the Panthers should feel little pressure as they get set to make a franchise-record fourth straight trip to the postseason. Indeed, Florida emerged as one of the best teams in the East during the second half of the season, going 26-14-4 over its final 44 games.

Recalled from @CheckersHockey, Alex Lyon has emerged as a hero for the @FlaPanthers during a winning streak that has potentially saved their season. 

📝: @TomGulittiNHL | https://t.co/fZMKNrggGs pic.twitter.com/ziV6jLBxii

— American Hockey League (@TheAHL) April 10, 2023

While the Panthers have fueled their resurgence with an impressive offense that averaged 3.77 goals over their final 44 contests, it has been attention to defense that made the difference during their recent win streak. Led by netminder Alex Lyon, who got the call in each of their final eight games, the Panthers allowed just 17 total goals over that stretch.

Boston Bruins Betting Outlook

The Bruins have kept winning despite having clinched the top of the NHL league standings over two weeks ago. Boston has outscored opponents by a 29-17 margin during their current 8-0-0 run, and claimed victory by multi-goal margins five times during an overall 15-1-0 run.

However, this club has also encountered some trouble scoring during their late-season surge, with four of their past nine games ending in 2-1 scores including narrow overtime victories over Columbus and Toronto.

"Taking an extra day again today. That's to be decided tomorrow – if he feels well enough, he'll play…Patrice doesn't need extra days of practice. If he feels better, he'll play. " — #NHLBruins GM Don Sweeney on Patrice Bergeron's status pic.twitter.com/JAQktpx5ng

— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) April 16, 2023

The club has received some good news in the days leading off to puck drop on this season’s postseason. Goaltender Linus Ullmark has been upgraded to probable for Monday after missing the team’s season finale in Montreal due to injury. Patrice Bergeron is also expected to be in the lineup after leaving the team’s 5-4 win over the Canadiens due to injury.

Panthers vs Bruins Game 1 Prediction

The Bruins are massive favorites in the Stanley Cup odds and are expected to dominate in this series. However, the Panthers match up very well with Boston on both sides of the puck and in terms of physicality.

Indeed, Florida may be the better offensive team here, and will give Boston all it can handle as they seek to draw first blood and set the stage for the biggest upset of the postseason.

The Pick: Panthers (+180); OVER 6.5 (+100)