Boston Bruins vs Florida Panthers Prediction, Preview and Odds - 05/08/2024

Game Time: 7:30 pm ET, Wednesday, May 8, 2024

Venue:  Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise, FL

Where to Watch:  ESPN

DraftKings:  Moneyline:  Bruins +142, Panthers -170; Over/Under:  5.5 goals

Bet365:  Moneyline:  Bruins +140, Panthers -170; Over/Under:  5.5 goals

BetMGM:  Moneyline:  Bruins +145, Panthers -175; Over/Under:  5.5 goals

Boston Bruins:  47-20-15 (2nd place, Atlantic Division)

Florida Panthers:  52-24-6 (1st place, Atlantic Division)

Do not miss out on our expert handicapper analysis! Brian Bitler is on a HOT STREAK in the NHL on a 19-10 NHL RUN for +$8,730 PROFIT! Make sure you check out his picks and many more from the expert handicappers featured in the Shop Picks section.

Boston Bruins:  5-4-1 last 10

Florida Panthers:  8-2-0 last 10

The Bruins are entering this game with 109 points, a 47-20-15 record overall, and they were 23-9-9 in their road games this regular season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a win against the Florida Panthers in their last game, winning that one on the road 5-1. Mason Lohrei, Justin Brazeau, Brandon Carlo, Jake DeBrusk, and Morgan Geekie each scored 1 goal for them in that game. Pavel Zacha led the team in assists with 2 while David Pastrňák led the team in shots on net in that game with 4. Jeremy Swayman was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 1 goal on 39 shots with 38 saves and a .974 sv percentage. Their offense has scored 267 goals this season averaging 3.3 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 224 goals against them allowing 2.7 goals per game.

The Panthers are entering this game with 110 points, a 52-24-6 record overall, and they were 26-13-2 in their home games this regular season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a loss against the Boston Bruins in their last game, losing that one at home 5-1. Matthew Tkachuk scored 1 goal for them in that game. Aleksander Barkov led the team in assists with 1 while Sam Reinhart led the team in shots on net in that game with 6. Sergei Bobrovsky was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 4 goals on 28 shots with 24 saves and a .857 sv percentage. Their offense has scored 268 goals this season averaging 3.3 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 200 goals against them allowing 2.4 goals per game.

The current betting odds have the Panthers listed as a favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. This is game 2 of a 7 game series between the 1st seeded Panthers and the 2nd seeded Bruins from the Atlantic Division for Round 2 of the NHL Eastern Conference playoffs. The Bruins have a 1-0 series lead after winning game 1 of this series on the road. The Bruins won game 1 in this series 5-1 and they really blew up on the Panthers after going down 1-0 in that game. They were playing with a lot of motivation from their playoff exit last year so they put a lot into that game to win it and now they have gotten the job done as they have flipped the home advantage to their side. The Panthers looked great in their last series though as they ended the Lightning in 5 games while the Bruins needed a full 7 game series just to beat the Leafs after going up 3-1 in the series too. The Panthers are going to come out strong in this game as they look to respond to that bad loss, and considering how they came back on the Bruins down 3-1 in the series last year, they have the Bruins right where they want them in this series with a false sense of confidence. The Panthers are going to bring everything they have in this game to even up the series and avoid going into a 2-0 hole back to Boston. The best way to place a bet here is on the Panthers to win this game. 

Bruins Panthers Prediction:  Our NHL Pick for Wednesday, May 8, 2024 (7:30 pm ET start time) is Panthers 3 Bruins 1.

Don't miss our champion handicappers free picks and expert hockey picks today. And if you enjoyed this Boston Bruins Florida Panthers prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our weekly NHL predictions and previews.

Boston Bruins: 62-31 (+12.3 units) on the moneyline vs. division opponents. 38-23 (+6.9 units) on the moneyline off a win against a division rival. 12-3 UNDER off a road win scoring 4 or more goals. 16-9 UNDER off a road win. 20-13 UNDER vs. division opponents.

Florida Panthers: 20-22 (-8.4 units) on the moneyline revenging a home loss versus opponent. 24-23 (-12.8 units) on the moneyline off a home loss. 21-12 UNDER after one or more consecutive overs. 9-1 UNDER in the second round of the playoffs. 9-4 UNDER off a home loss.

Boston Bruins:  D. Heinen (LW) Ques Wed - Lower Body. A. Peeke (D) Mid May - Finger. M. Poitras (C) out for season - Shoulder. M. Lucic (LW) out for season - Ankle.

Florida Panthers:  R. Lomberg (LW) Ques Wed - Illness. S. Bennett (C) Mid May - Upper Body.

“We made a lot of mistakes. If not for Jeremy Swayman, that would have been a lot closer game and maybe they come out on top.” - Jim Montgomery after his team’s win against the Panthers in game 1 of this series on Monday.

“I didn't care for our game. And I think we can fix a big chunk of the things we didn't like.” - Paul Maurice after his team’s loss against the Bruins in game 1 of this series on Monday.

LW DeBrusk, Jake

C Zacha, Pavel

RW Pastrnak, David

LD Lindholm, Hampus

RD McAvoy, Charlie

G Swayman, Jeremy

LW Verhaeghe, Carter

C Barkov, Aleksander

RW Tkachuk, Matthew

LD Forsling, Gustav

RD Ekblad, Aaron

G Bobrovsky, Sergei

Points: D. Pastrnak (110)

Goals: D. Pastrnak (47)

Assists: D. Pastrnak (63)

GAA: J. Swayman (2.53)

Points: S. Reinhart (94)

Goals: S. Reinhart (57)

Assists: M. Tkachuk (62)

GAA: A.Stolarz (2.03)

Coaches:

Boston Bruins: Jim Montgomery (2nd season)

Florida Panthers: Paul Maurice (2nd season)