The Florida Panthers put together an emphatic response against the Boston Bruins in Game 2 on Wednesday night.
After losing 5-1 in Game 1, the Cats dominated the B’s en route to a 6-1 victory to even up the best-of-7 series.
The Bruins wrestled home-ice advantage away from Florida with the split in Sunrise, Fla., but it’s the Panthers who are sitting as -188 favorites to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Panthers vs. Bruins odds
| Team | Moneyline | Puck Line | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Panthers | -125 | -1.5 (+205) | o5.5 (-104) |
| Bruins | +104 | +1.5 (-255) | u5.5 (-118) |
Panthers vs. Bruins prediction
(7 p.m. ET, TNT)
The Bruins deserve plenty of credit for the way they won their Round 1 series against the Toronto Maple Leafs, but it was clear that they’d have to adapt their style a bit against the Panthers.
Boston and Toronto were happy to lock things down and see who came out on top, but that is not how Florida will want to play.
The Panthers want plenty of pace and action in their games, and they’ve made the chaos work to their advantage.
Only the Carolina Hurricanes registered more shot attempts per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 than the Panthers, who also finished sixth in expected goals created and eighth in high-danger scoring chances for.
Florida’s defensive game was also dynamite as the Cats ranked second in 5-on-5 goals allowed, fifth in expected goals against, and seventh in high-danger scoring chances conceded.
While the Panthers were elite at tilting the ice at 5-on-5, the Bruins were experts at bending but not breaking this season.
The B’s are a well-drilled side with all-world goaltending, which allows them to hang around against more potent opponents.
It’s not a recipe that can work for most teams, but the Bruins are masters at it.
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Panthers vs. Bruins pick
The first two games of this series have gotten off the rails, but I’d expect Game 3 to play out much tighter, with both clubs looking to find some consistency.
That should lead to a pretty stodgy game, with neither team able to get much separation. That puts value on betting this one to go to overtime.