The Florida Panthers begin their Stanley Cup defense as -150 home favorites against the traveling Boston Bruins who are +130 road dogs. The total is set at 5.5 goals with the OVER favored at -120. When Boston has traveled to Sunrise in the past two seasons, the score exceeded the total three times in four games.
The Bruins are live dogs in this contest. I understand that Florida might have more pep in their step following the banner-raising ceremony, but the last 10 defending Stanley Cup champs are 5-5SU in their opening game.
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Panthers vs Bruins Odds
Florida Panthers vs Boston Bruins, Oct. 8, 7 PM
| Team | Puckline | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Bruins | +1.5 (-190) | +130 | O5.5 (-120) |
| Florida Panthers | -1.5 (+160) | -150 | U5.5 (+100) |
Odds as of October 8 at 12:00pm
Panthers vs Bruins Picks - October 8
The Bruins would love to avenge their last two playoff eliminations at the hands of the Panthers by crashing their banner-raising party with a win. Again, in my opinion, the Bruins are live dogs. Including the playoffs, the Bruins are 4-1SU in their last five games in Sunrise. Also, Jeremy Swayman, fresh off signing an eight-year $66 million contract, could get the start. Swayman is also great to open a season with a 3-0-0 record and an impeccable 0.931SV% and 2.01GAA.
Remember, banner-raising teams are quite shaky when opening the season going 5-5SU in the last 10 seasons. These players have not only had a long post-season but a long off-season of celebrating with teammates, family, friends, and fans.
Since the 22-23 season (including playoffs), Florida has only won four home games against Boston with a 4-6SU (40%). It's not a convincing record at all.
If you're still not sure about backing Boston on the moneyline, how about backing them on the spread? Per our friends at Outlier, the Bruins have covered the spread 19 times in their last 23 games as a dog. At -190 on a +1.5 spread, you're still getting good value backing the Bruins.
Panthers vs Bruins Prop Pick: Matthew Tkachuk O3.5 SOG (+105)
No one shoots the puck more on home ice than Matthew Tkachuk. The Rat King put up 151 shots on home ice last year, an average of 3.8 per game. As a Panther, Tkachuk averaged 4.4 shots on net per game against the Bruins and has hit O3.5 SOG five times in his last eight games (63%). He also came close twice putting three shots on the net.
For their part, the Bruins allow lots of shots on the net when playing on the road. In 2023-24, they allowed an average of 31.7. That was the 11th most in the league. Tkachuk will get his opportunities and should easily hit this prop.
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Panthers vs Bruins Betting Trends
- The Panthers have scored UNDER 3.5 goals eight times in their last 10 games
- Boston has covered a +1.5 spread eight times in its last 10 games
- Boston is 8-3SU in its last 11 road games
