NHL Odds: Bruins Heavy Betting Favorites In Tilt Vs. Panthers
The Boston Bruins will be looking to earn at least a point in an 18th straight game when they play host to the slumping Florida Panthers on Thursday night as heavy -210 favorites on the NHL odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Boston extended the league’s longest point streak of the season with a 4-3 overtime win over Carolina on Tuesday to also extend the club’s outright win streak on home ice to eight games going into Thursday night’s Panthers vs. Bruins betting matchup at TD Garden.
The Bruins have been clicking at both ends of the ice while piling up the points, surrendering just nine total goals over their past six games, and limiting opposing teams to two or fewer goals on 11 occasions during the 13-0-4 run that began back on Jan. 29. That has fueled a steady trend in totals wagers, with the UNDER prevailing in five of their past six overall, and going 10-5-1 in the Bruins’ past 16 home dates.
While the Bruins’ recent strong play has all but guaranteed them a playoff spot for a third straight year, they have failed to gain ground on the Tampa Bay Lightning, who lead the way in the Eastern Conference standings, 17 points up on Boston.
Boston has overtaken Toronto for second place in the division during its current surge, but remains neck-and-neck in the battle for second place in the Atlantic Division standings, and the coveted home-ice advantage in a highly anticipated potential first-round playoff matchup between the Original Six rivals.
However, the Bruins have made substantial gains on the NHL futures in recent days after lagging behind the favorites for most of the season. Boston now has climbed past the Maple Leafs to +600 on the odds to win the Eastern Conference championship. The Bruins also have rocketed to second favorites on the Stanley Cup odds, where they now trail only the heavily favored Lightning as a +900 wager.
Conversely, the Panthers are mired in a five-game losing streak, capped by a 3-2 overtime loss in Pittsburgh on Tuesday, and sit as +175 underdogs in their first visit to Boston this season. Florida has been snakebitten during its swoon, which has featured three road losses. The Panthers came out on the wrong end of one-goal decisions in all five of their recent defeats.
However, the Panthers will try to build on recent success against the Bruins, whom they have topped in four of their last five meetings, including a 4-2 victory as +274 underdogs in their last visit back in April 2018.
