The Boston Bruins have yet to drop back-to-back games this season and will look to avoid that fate Saturday in an Atlantic Division road tilt against the Florida Panthers.
The Bruins, who were the fastest team to 80 points in NHL history, needing 47 games to get there, have allowed more than two goals once in a game following a loss and have outscored the opposition 28-12 in those previous nine contests.
Jim Montgomery’s team, which has permitted 101 goals in 48 games, lost a sea-saw affair to the Tampa Bay Lightning Thursday in a rare game in which it never led.
“There were a couple of details on goals against that we made mistakes in how we want to play things,” Montgomery told the media. “It’s an opportunity for us to learn and grow and get better. You need to execute in big moments, and unfortunately, we didn’t.”
The Panthers suffered their third straight setback and fourth in their last six contests as their defensive struggles continued Friday against the Los Angeles Kings.
Florida, which has given up the ninth most goals per game (3.50) in the NHL, has surrendered 27 goals in those six games, including four to the Kings.
The Panthers, whose playoff chances fell below 30%, are the only team in the NHL to rank in the top 10 in goals per game and in the bottom 10 in goals allowed per game.
Let’s check the latest NHL news, stats, injury reports, and NHL lines for Bruins vs Panthers. We’ve got plenty of NHL picks for you to consider.
Marchand Riding Point Streak
Brad Marchand, who has 19 points in his last 14 games, including seven goals, ran his point streak to seven games with a goal against the Lighting.
Despite a late start to the season due to hip surgery and some struggles in December, Marchand has taken over the second spot in terms of points (46) for the Bruins.
Still, the 24-point gap between David Pastrnak, who leads the Bruins and is fourth in the league with 70 points, and Marchand is the largest in the NHL among teammates, ahead of the 19-point gap between Flordia’s Matthew Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov.
Marchand has 18 goals and 44 points in 45 career games against the Panthers, including five game-winning goals, but he has yet to score against them this season.
Reinhart Piling Points for Panthers
Sam Reinhart, a former No. 2 overall pick in 2014, won’t come close to matching his sensational first season with the Panthers, which saw him post career-highs with 33 goals and 82 points, but his scoring has picked up over the last month and a half.
The veteran center, who had points in seven of eight games prior to being held off the scoresheet Friday, has put up nine goals and 13 assists in his last 22 games.
Reinhart contributed two goals and five assists to Florida’s blistering power play, which prior to going 0-of-5 Friday, had scored 13 times in 29 chances over nine games.
The former Buffalo Sabre contributed a goal and assist in the Panthers’ 5-2 home win over the Bruins Nov. 23, their second straight win over Boston at home.
Bruins vs Panthers Game Injuries
Bruins vs Panthers Head-to-Head
The Bruins have taken two of the first three games this season from the Panthers to increase their advantage in the series to 61-47-6, including 30-24-2 on the road.
Bruins vs Panthers Information
- Game: Bruins (38-6-4) vs Panthers (23-21-6)
- Location: FLA Live Arena, Sunrise, FL
- Day/Time: Saturday, Jan. 28, 6 p.m. ET
- Bruins vs Panthers Live Stream:NHL.TV
Bruins vs Panthers Betting Lines
Bruins vs Panthers Picks & Prediction
The first three meetings between Boston and Florida went over the total with the teams combining for eight, seven and 10 goals. Six straight Florida games have gone over.
The Panthers are 0-6 in the last six games with zero days rest.
Boston is listed at -160 in our Las Vegas NHL odds. This means that if you wager $100 on the Bruins, you have a chance to win $63. Florida is +140, offering a chance to win $140 on a $100 wager.
The implied probability attached to the betting lines gives Boston a 61.54% chance to win, with the Panthers 41.67%.
Bruins vs Panthers Trends
Bruins vs Panthers Edge
Bruins vs Panthers Results
Bruins vs Panthers Game Summary
