The Boston Bruins return home Saturday to take on the Florida Panthers riding a stretch of seven wins in 10 games that has lifted their Stanley Cup odds to 28/1 at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
The Bruins have played six of their last eight games on the road, including five visits to Canadian cities, wrapping up their road trip with a 3-1 win in Montreal on Wednesday night, which ended an eight-game losing streak against their rivals.
It was a streaky first third of the season for Boston, which balanced a pair of lengthy win streaks with a pair of three-game swoons, and it now enters Saturday afternoon’s Panthers vs. Bruins betting matchup at TD Garden in control of fourth place in the Atlantic Division, eight points back of the division-leading Canadiens.
While the Bruins’ current Stanley Cup odds are a marked improvement over last month when they sat at 50/1, they still fall short of the 25/1 odds they owned on opening night.
The club can help its cause by building on recent solid performances at home, where it is 4-2 in its past six. But issues with consistency once again arose during its swing through Canada, losing three of its last five dates overall while averaging less than 21 shots on goal per game over its last three.
The Panthers travel north riding high following their 4-1 win over the current Stanley Cup favorite Washington Capitals, halting a two-game losing streak and moving to within one point of the Bruins in the Atlantic Division standings.
Like the Bruins, Florida also has run hot and cold this season, gaining ground with a recent five-game win streak following a trio of losing slides lasting three or more games.
The Panthers have a tall order to fill to end their current eight-game losing streak at TD Garden, but they have kept it close in their last two visits, dropping a pair of one-goal decisions last season, including a heartbreaking 2-1 overtime loss.
Following Saturday’s tilt with the Panthers, the Bruins welcome the Edmonton Oilers on Monday, followed by a home-and-home series with the Pittsburgh Penguins next Wednesday and Friday.
The Oilers topped Boston by a 3-2 score last week, handing them a second straight loss following 13 consecutive wins, but they have come out on top in eight of their last 10 games against the Penguins according to the OddsShark NHL Database
Thumbnail photo via Robert Mayer/USA TODAY Sports Images
