NHL Odds, Preview, Prediction: Bruins vs Panthers Game 2 (Wednesday, May 8)
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Bruins vs. Panthers Odds
| Bruins Odds | +150 |
| Panthers Odds | -180 |
| Over / Under | 5.5 +100 / -120 |
Here's everything you need to know about the Bruins vs. Panthers odds for Game 2 on Wednesday, May 8 – our expert NHL prediction and pick.
The Boston Bruins showed they were every bit deserving of their second-round berth, easily dispatching the Florida Panthers in Game 1 of their Atlantic Division showdown on Monday. The B's staked themselves to a lead in the second period and didn't look back, knocking off the division-winning Panthers 5-1 in Sunrise, Florida.
Now, they can force the Panthers into a familiar position before heading back to Beantown with a commanding 2-0 series lead.
Of course, neither team forgets last year's first-round matchup. Boston went up 3-1 following a decisive 6-2 win in Game 4, only to go on to lose three straight and suffer an unceremonious playoff exit.
The Bruins are hoping to avoid a similar outcome in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. They can use Wednesday's tilt to put themselves in the driver's seat once again, albeit with a different outcome by the end of the series.
Boston's five-goal outburst in Game 1 could be foreshadowing what to expect from the Original Six franchise in the coming games. The Bruins have been generating an absurd amount of chances since their opening-round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs, but they don't have the output to match. With sustained production, we're expecting the floodgates to open up and the B's to be beneficiaries of improved puck luck.
No team can match what the Bruins have done over their recent sample. The Atlantic Division runner-ups have been proliferating offensively, attempting at least 12 high-danger chances in four straight games. Similarly, the B's are averaging 26.8 scoring opportunities per game across the four-game sample, exceeding 30 chances in two of four.
The problem is the Bruins' output doesn't reflect their assertive efforts. Boston has scored nine total goals over that stretch with five coming in their last outing. As a result, their 8.0% 5-on-5 shooting percentage in the playoffs is substantially lower than their 9.7% regular season average, implying the B's are progression candidates over their coming games.
That's without even considering the dominance of Jeremy Swayman. The Bruins netminder has been sensational, leading all goalies (with more than three starts) with a 95.5% save percentage. Predictably, he has the corresponding goals-against average with Swayman's playoff mark hovering at 1.43.
The Bruins could be on the verge of something special. With Swayman holding down the fort in the defensive end, the Bruins are free to swarm the opponents in the attacking zone. Increased scoring is an eventuality, suggesting more wins should follow over their immediate sample.
Sadly, the Panthers don't get to brag about the same analytics success as their counterparts on Wednesday night. Florida has been one of the most disappointing teams in the playoffs, failing to match their energy from the regular season. Combined with the anticipated regression from Sergei Bobrovsky, the Panthers could be positioned for an earlier-than-anticipated exit from the playoffs.
By the end of the regular season, the Panthers had established an impressive 54.3% expected goals-for rating, good enough for fifth in the NHL. Still, they've come up well short of that benchmark in the postseason, skating around with a disappointing 49.7% rating in six playoff games.
Worse, they've outplayed their opponent just once over their last four games, and they've surpassed the 50.6% game score just once. As we saw in Game 1, that's unlikely to change against the Bruins.
We are also expecting another letdown from Bobrovsky. The veteran goalie has struggled to keep his head above water in the playoffs, posting a 33-31-4 record with a 90.7% save percentage and 2.97 goals against average. If we remove last year's run to the Cup Final, those numbers plummet to 21-25-4, 89.9% and 3.05, respectively.
Simply, Bobrovsky and the Panthers aren't as good as the betting market implies. They've been outplayed in most of their playoff games, and Bobrovsky is poised for ongoing regression after overachieving last year. Unless there's a substantial shift in the betting price or metrics, don't invest in Florida.
Bruins vs. Panthers
Betting Pick & Prediction
Purveyors of value should be intrigued by the Bruins on Wednesday night. Clearly, they've been the superior analytics team, and they are primed for renewed success in the attacking zone.
That's troublesome for Panthers, who have continually been outplayed, Bobrovsky and the Russian netminder, who has a tendency to fall flat on his face in the postseason.
Consequently, we're backing the B's at +140 or better in Game 2 of the Atlantic Division showdown.
Pick: Bruins (+150 at bet365)
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