Bruins vs Panthers Game 3 | NHL Odds, Preview, Prediction
Photo by Rich Graessle/NHLI via Getty Images. Pictured: Linus Ullmark (Bruins)
- The Panthers stunned the Bruins with a win in Game 2 and will look to stay hot as the series shifts to Florida.
- However, Boston was the NHL's best team all year and our expert thinks the Game 2 loss may serve as added motivation on Friday night.
- Ryan Dadoun breaks down Friday's Game 3 and shares his best bet for Bruins vs. Panthers below.
Bruins vs. Panthers Game 3 Odds
| Bruins Odds | -134 |
| Panthers Odds | +112 |
| Over/Under | 6.5 (-105/-115) |
| Time | 7:30 p.m. ET |
| TV | TNT |
| Odds via FanDuel. Get up-to-the-minute NHL Odds here. | |
Not much was expected of the Florida Panthers going into their first-round series against the Boston Bruins. So when Florida dropped Game 1, it seemed like just another victory for a Bruins squad that won a record-breaking 65 games in the regular season. However, the Panthers challenged Boston's march with a 6-3 triumph in Game 2, so what will they do for an encore with the series moving to Florida?
Boston Bruins
While it would be an oversimplification to blame Linus Ullmark for Boston's 6-3 loss to the Panthers, his performance does stand out because it's been so rare for him to have a subpar game. He's the runaway favorite to win the Vezina Trophy after posting a 40-6-1 record, a 1.89 GAA and a .938 save percentage in 49 regular-season contests.
Ullmark was such a safe bet during the 2022-23 campaign that he only twice surrendered more than four goals. So the fact that he allowed five goals (the sixth marker was on an empty net) Wednesday was a huge deviation from the norm.
It is worth noting Ullmark has just four playoff games on his resume and he struggled during the 2021 postseason with a 4.16 GAA and an .860 save percentage in two starts, so he remains largely unproven when the stakes are this high. Still, after the campaign he's had, he'll probably be back in net Friday, and it wouldn't be surprising to see him have a stronger performance.
At the other end of the ice, the Bruins are dangerous. They finished the regular season with the second-ranked offense (3.67 goals per game). Patrice Bergeron's (upper body) absence has been felt over the first two games, but even if he ends up missing Friday's contest too, the Bruins will still have plenty of scoring options, including David Pastrnak, who had an amazing 61 goals and 113 points in 82 regular-season outings.
Outside of Bergeron's status, keep an eye on Taylor Hall. He scored a goal Wednesday, but has averaged just 13:18 of ice time in the series, which is down from 15:56 during the regular season. Although the 31-year-old declined offensively in 2022-23 (16 goals, 36 points), he is a solid secondary scorer and it will be interesting to see if his role expands as the series progresses.
Florida Panthers
Ullmark didn't impress Wednesday, but Florida doesn't exactly have the edge in goal. Alex Lyon has been a mixed bag in this series and has stopped 60 of 66 shots over the first two games. He's not bad, but he's very much beatable and if Ullmark bounces back in Game 3, Lyon will likely struggle to keep up.
The Panthers do have Sergei Bobrovsky as an expensive backup option, but haven't used him since March 27, so rust might be a factor, and he had a meh regular season with a 24-20-3 record, a 3.07 GAA and a .901 save percentage in 50 outings. If Florida is going to pull off another upset, it will likely be thanks to its offense, not its goaltending.
Fortunately for the Panthers, they aren't lacking scoring options. Matthew Tkachuk (40 goals, 109 points) is the biggest threat, but Florida has three other forwards who finished the season with over 65 points in Aleksander Barkov, Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Reinhart. Then there's offensive defenseman Brandon Montour, who scored twice Wednesday and finished the regular season with 16 goals and 73 points in 80 appearances.
Florida's offense wasn't quite as good as Boston's in the regular season, but it was close. The Panthers averaged 3.51 goals per game and were especially effective down the stretch as they averaged 4.13 goals over their final eight regular-season outings.
Bruins vs. Panthers Pick
Even with the series moving to Florida, the oddsmakers see Boston as a clear favorite and that's understandable given the Bruins' regular-season dominance. Boston is so good that it's hard to bet on the Panthers, even after a strong showing.
In fact, after that humbling loss, I expect the Bruins to come out in full force and win this in regulation Friday. For that reason, I'm recommending the Bruins on the 60-minute moneyline 3-Way. Unlike the regular moneyline, you'll lose this bet if the game goes to overtime, but the increased potential payout makes it worth the risk in my mind.
If you're looking for an alternate option, I also seriously considered the under of 6.5 goals. Ullmark should fare better Friday, but the possible payout isn't quite as good, which is why it's not my primary recommendation.
Pick: Boston Bruins 60-Minute Moneyline 3 way (-105) |Play to -120
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