Offense meets defense at FLA Live Arena on Saturday as the high-volume shooting Florida Panthers (+140) welcome the stifling goaltending of the Boston Bruins (-165). The total is 6.5 (O: -120, U: +100)Boston (38-6-4) is coming off a 3-2 loss against the Lightning on Thursday, ending a streak of six straight wins.
The Bruins committed six penalties in the game, conceding one power play goal. Pavel Zacha and Brad Marchand both scored once for the Bruins. Linus Ullmark had 32 saves in the loss.
Florida (23-22-6) is playing the second of a back-to-back after suffering a 4-3 loss against the Kings yesterday, their third defeat in a row. Carter Verhaeghe, Ryan Lomberg, and Brandon Montour each scored once for the Panthers.
Verhaeghe added an assist to share the scoring lead with Matthew Tkachuk, who had two assists. Alex Lyon only had 29 saves on 32 shots against (.906%) in the loss.
HEAD TO HEAD
The Bruins have won two of the three games between the teams this season, including a 7-3 victory in their most recent meeting in December. Patrice Bergeron led Boston with four points (2G 2A). Sam Reinhart and Verhaeghe each had two points (1G 1A) to lead Florida. Ullmark got the win, saving 36 of 39 shots (.923%).
FACING OFF
Boston is averaging 3.77 goals per game for the season, second in the NHL, and they are taking on a Panthers team that is allowing 3.51 goals a game (24th).
Meanwhile, Florida has found the net 3.39 times a game on average, eighth in the league, and the Bruins are holding opponents to a league-best 2.04 goals per game.
Florida averages more shots/game (35.3) than most teams in the league, ranking second, though the team’s 9.7% shooting percentage is 21st. Boston has proven up to the task of stopping shots, ranking No. 1 with a team save percentage of .931%.
Power play opportunities are likely to be plentiful for the Bruins, as the Panthers have been penalized 4.92 times a game, most in the NHL, for an average of 12.33 minutes (third-highest). The visitors are averaging 4.38 penalties (eighth) and 10.60 penalty minutes a game (9th).
The Bruins’ 26.83% power play percentage is the third-best in the league, while the Panthers rank 12th with a conversion rate of 23.08%. Boston has been equally successful at penalty killing, boasting the league’s highest PK% at 86.39%. Florida ranks 26th at 74.07%.
TOP PERFORMERS:
With 70 points this season, fourth-most in the NHL, David Pastrnak is the top skater for the Bruins. He is among the league leaders with 37 goals (2nd) and has added 33 assists. In the net, Ullmark (25-3-1) is Boston’s top goaltender by goals against average.
He has a 1.86 GAA, best in the league, and a .937% save percentage, also best. Tkachuk leads the Panthers in scoring with 64 points (9th in the league). He has 25 goals and 39 assists.
Spencer Knight (9-7-3) has the best goals against average for Florida at 3.06. He has a save percentage of .906%. Sergei Bobrovsky (12-13-2) has played the most games in net for the Panthers this season. He has a 3.25 GAA and a .897% save percentage.
HOME AND AWAY
Boston is 16-5-1 on the road this season. Florida is 12-7-3 at home this season. Meanwhile, the Panthers are 1-6 without a day off and 0-5 playing with a rest disadvantage. The Bruins are 4-0 with a rest advantage.
SportsTips’ NHL Pick:
Florida Panthers (+125)
Want up to a $1K risk free bet for this pick?
Claim with 
today!
If you need more news, information and predictions, head over to our NHL hub page for all your hockey needs!
*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
