In today’s betting guide, the NHL schedule contains 13 games making for a busy night. The first-place Florida Panthers visit the wild-card Boston Bruins, and this is where you’ll find everything, including team win odds, the over/under, and some player props.
Florida Panthers (-130) vs Boston Bruins (+110)
FLA: 57-16-6, 4.16 GF/GP, 2.89 GA/GP, L10: 9-1-0
BOS: 49-25-5, 3.06 GF/GP, 2.67 GA/GP, L10: 5-5-0
The Boston Bruins host the Florida Panthers in the third and final meeting of the 2021-22 regular season. Both teams have one victory over the other, and they’re primed for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Panthers currently represent the league as the best team in terms of points and goals for. Forward Ryan Lomberg will not play following his one-game suspension for taking an instigator penalty in the final five minutes of Florida’s last game.
The Bruins have quietly had a decent season and can still overtake the Tampa Bay Lightning for third place in the Atlantic Division. Winners of two consecutive games, the top line of Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, and Jake DeBrusk broke out of its recent slump. They’ll need their top line to continue producing in the postseason if they want to stand any chance of doing some damage. David Pastrnak will also be a game-time decision.
The Panthers are slight favourites heading into tonight’s game, which shouldn’t come as a surprise to anybody. They’re 9-1-0 in their last 10 games, outscoring their opponents 45-28. Their 8-1 blowout loss against the Tampa Bay Lightning is the only loss suffered in April. This one could go either way, but the risk isn’t worth much with a low-end payout. Boston could bring back a bit of value if they shock the Panthers, but they’re 5-5-0 in their last 10.
Props
Aleksander Barkov – Anytime Goal-Scorer (+2.25)
As Aleksander Barkov closes in on his first 40-goal season, it’s clear he’s evolved as a double threat in the NHL. With 39 goals and 49 assists, he’s close to two milestones and is surely motivated to achieve both. Playing on Florida’s top line with Mason Marchment and newly-acquired Claude Giroux, the trio have points in four of their last five.
Barkov is sure to have a fire lit under him to get to 40 goals on the year and with the way his line has played, it’ll happen. The Bruins have allowed four power-play goals against in their last five, and the Panthers’ seventh-best power play could do damage. Barkov has five goals in his last five games, including two power-play tallies. At +2.25, it’s a decent return for a Barkov goal at any point in the game tonight.
Charlie McAvoy – Power Play Points (Over 0.5, +3.60)
The Bruin’s blue line depends heavily on the contributions of Charlie McAvoy. He averages between 22 to 25 minutes per game and plays all situations, making him a versatile player. He really turned it up after a slow start in February and hasn’t looked back since. He leads all Bruins defenders in power-play goals and points and sits at 55 points in 76 games this season.
The surprising statistic here is that McAvoy has yet to record a single power-play point in April. The Bruins are 17th on the man advantage and they’ll need him to pick up the pace as they strut into the postseason. The Panthers boast the league’s 17th-best penalty kill, giving Boston a good opportunity to register some goals. McAvoy has a power-play goal against Florida this season and, at +3.60 odds, it’s worth the risk if you have a few dollars to spare.
Odds via Yahoo and BetMGM.
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