Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA – Photo by Icon sport

Boston Bruins vs Florida Panthers Game 1: Eastern Conference Playoffs – Second Round

The Boston Bruins vs the Florida Panthers are opening the second round series tonight at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida.

The Bruins survived a scary

The Boston Bruins are coming off a 2-1 Game 7 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs in the opening playoff round. The Bruins took a 3-1 lead early in the series but found themselves a goal down with 10 minutes to go in Game 7 of the series. Then Hampus Lindholm tied the score before David Pastrnak sealed the deal in overtime. Veteran Brad Marchand had a great series with 8 points.

The Panthers are coming off a furious series

The Florida Panthers are coming off an excellent first round series defeating the state rival Tampa Bay Lightning in five games. They are coming off a 6-1 win in the closing game of the series. Matthew Tkachuk and Carter Verhaege both scored 9 points in that series.

Betting Trends

The Bruins have won 6 of the last 10 games against the Panthers including all four games in the 2023-24 regular season. Three of the last five games between these two teams finished in a tie in regulation. Six of the last ten games between these two teams finished over the total goal line but only one of the last four.

Prediction and Conclusion

For the second consecutive season, the Florida Panthers and the Boston Bruins will face each other in the playoffs. Last year, the Bruins were the top seed with the all-time best regular-season record. They took a 3-1 lead in the series, but the Panthers managed to come back and win the series in seven games. The same scenario almost happened again this year to the Bruins in the opening round against the Toronto Maple Leafs, but they were lucky enough to move forward. The Panthers have the home court advantage this time around and have five days more to rest and prepare for this series. That will make the difference in the series opener, and the Panthers will take the lead.