NHL Odds, Preview, Prediction: Red Wings vs Panthers (Saturday, March 30)
(Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images) Pictured: Sergei Bobrovsky.
Red Wings vs. Panthers Odds
| Red Wings Odds | +164 |
| Panthers Odds | -200 |
| Over / Under | 6 -115o / -105u |
Here's everything you need to know about the Detroit Red Wings vs. Florida Panthers on Saturday, March 30 – our expert NHL prediction and pick.
Red Wings vs. Panthers odds have Florida as a -240 favorite on the moneyline while the over/under is set at 6 goals. The Panthers have utterly dominated this matchup over the past couple of seasons, winning 19 of the past 22 meetings.
Find out why I like Florida to take care of business once again in my Red Wings vs Panthers prediction for Saturday.
Detroit enters this contest in poor form, losing 11 of its past 14 games. Nine of those 11 losses came by at least a two-goal margin. Those woes are likely to continue in this matchup against Florida, as goaltender Alex Lyon is slated to go against his former team.
While Lyon put together a solid campaign through the first half of the season, his results have come crashing back down recently. He has now allowed three or more goals in nine of his past 10 starts. Over that stretch, Lyon is 1-8-1 with a fade-worthy .871 SV% and 4.19 GAA. Seven of those nine losses came by at least a two-goal differential.
In fact, one of those multi-goal losses came against the Panthers, a game win in which Lyon surrendered four goals on 37 shots for a .892 SV% en route to a 4-0 loss. It certainly doesn't help his cause that this team bleeds high-danger scoring chances, ranking 25th in expected goals against per 60 minutes (xGA/60).
You do not want to carry those poor defensive metrics or goaltending in a matchup against Florida. This is one of the best offenses in the league, ranking second in expected goals for per 60 minutes (xGF/60).
The defense is also very strong, ranking third in xGA/60. With those tremendous metrics across the board, Florida is the best team in hockey in terms of expected goal differential per 60 minutes. It ranks higher than Detroit in xGF/60, xGA/60 and expected goal differential per 60 minutes.
Backing up this elite two-way team is goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, who is projected to guard the cage Saturday. Putting together a Vezina Trophy caliber season, Bobrovsky is 32-16-3 with a .914 SV% and 2.41 GAA. That success is likely to continue against the Wings, a team he has completely dominated throughout his career with a 26-6-2 record, .938 SV% and 1.80 GAA.
Red Wings vs. Panthers
Betting Pick & Prediction
There are no reasons to not like Florida in this spot. The Panthers are on home ice with the better offense, defense and goaltender.
The Panthers are also stronger on special teams and in the faceoff circle. If you like Florida in this matchup, then I think there is way more value in taking the puck line at +110 rather than laying over two dollars on the moneyline.
Five of the Panthers' past six wins have come by at least a two-goal differential, while 11 of Detroit's past 13 losses have come by at least a two-goal margin.
Pick: Panthers -1.5 (+130 via bet365 | Play to +105)
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