Bruins Live Underdog at Home in Game 3 vs Panthers
The Boston Bruins hope to lick their wounds and get back to business as the underdog in NHL odds when they host the Florida Panthers for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinal series on Friday.
The road-weary Bruins took the first game 5-1 on Monday before falling apart on Wednesday and suffering a 6-1 defeat. Boston had given up just 13 goals in its first eight games of the playoffs before allowing six unanswered tallies in the final 40 minutes.
Aleksander Barkov registered two goals and two assists for Florida, which converted on just one of 39 shots at Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman in the series opener. Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk lead the Panthers with 10 points in the playoffs.
Charlie Coyle scored the first goal of the game for Boston, which took six misconduct penalties in a fight-filled third period. It’s not a good bet Game 3 will match Wednesday’s game total of 158 penalty minutes.
The Bruins are a juicy +160 to win the series in the Las Vegas odds despite having home-ice advantage, while Florida is -180 to move on.
Panthers vs Bruins Game Information
- Game: Panthers (1-1) vs Bruins (1-1)
- Location: TD Garden, Boston, Mass.
- Day/Time: Friday, May 10, 7:00 p.m. ET
- Panthers vs Bruins Live Stream: NHL.com
Panthers vs Bruins Odds and Spreads
Panthers vs Bruins Betting Trends
- Over bettors are 5-0 at the sportsbook in the past five Florida games, but just 35-51-3 on the season.
- The Bruins had outscored the Panthers 18-9 in five straight wins before the defeat on Wednesday.
- Boston left wing Brad Marchand has scored at least 10 points in 10 postseasons after his assist in Game 2.
- Florida has covered the third period puck line in 30 of its last 49 road games.
- The Bruins have hit the first period game total under in 11 of their last 13 contests.
Brad Marchand factored on the @NHLBruins’ 1-0 goal to reach 10 points in the 2024 #StanleyCup Playoffs.
Tune in for the second period on @espn, @Sportsnet and @TVASports. #NHLStats: https://t.co/RKN11nrFon pic.twitter.com/aEhpYwHIg5
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) May 9, 2024
Reinhart Boosts Props Value as Set-Up Man
Sam Reinhart scored a career-high 57 goals in the regular season and had three in the first-round series win over Tampa Bay.
But a multiple assist bet on Reinhart cashed in on Wednesday as the former second overall draft pick recorded four helpers to ignite the Florida offense. Reinhart assisted on Barkov’s game winner 9:49 into the second period.
Reinhart had 37 assists in the regular season – third most in his career. The right-shot wing might still be a better bet to score a goal on Friday. He is averaging more than 40 the last three seasons and tops the team with 32 shots in the playoffs.
Sam Reinhart recorded four assists to establish a @FlaPanthers record for most in a playoff game. #StanleyCup#NHLStats: https://t.co/RKN11nrFon https://t.co/s4uCYCZWrr
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) May 9, 2024
Panthers forward Sam Bennett (upper body) will participate in the morning skate Friday, but is questionable for Game 3.
Swayman Good Bet to Rebound
Boston coach Jim Montgomery appears to have decided on a No. 1 goalie in the postseason after alternating Swayman and Linus Ullmark during the regular season.
Ullmark replaced Swayman in the third period after Florida’s fourth goal and surrendered both a power-play tally and a short-handed goal. Swayman is likely to be back between the pipes in Game 3..
“The workload played into our effort tonight. We didn’t have juice tonight.”
Jim Montgomery is taking the blame for the Bruins 6-1 loss to the Panthers off Jeremy Swayman’s shoulders. #NHLBruins | https://t.co/1riFRo7BIX pic.twitter.com/QShsZHB55e
— NESN (@NESN) May 9, 2024
The 25-year-old Swayman allowed just nine goals in six games during the first-round series victory against Toronto. The Alaska native owns a .942 save percentage in the postseason..
Both teams will probably tighten things up after over bettors cashed in the first two games.
Bruins Special on Penalty Kill
The Bruins finally gave up a power-play goal in the third period on Wednesday, but killed five of six penalties overall in the contest and have been almost perfect in the playoffs.
Boston has killed 28-of-30 power-play opportunities against Toronto and the Panthers – the seventh and eighth-best units during the regular season. If that continues, the Bruins become a very good value pick to win the series for your sport betting.
Florida is just 4-for-22 on the power play in the playoffs, but has killed off all five Boston chances with the extra man. The Bruins are 0-for-9 in their last five games.
Questions of the Day
Will Florida goalie Sergei Bobrovsky make at least 30 saves Friday?
No. The Bruins have not posted 30 shots in any game against the Panthers this season and have 44 total in the series.
Who has the most goals for the Panthers in the playoffs?
Carter Verhaeghe. The wing has five goals in the first seven games.
