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Panthers vs. Bruins Predictions & Odds: Sunday's NHL Playoffs Expert Picks for Game 4

Gary Pearson

Last Updated: May 12, 2024 3:56 PM EDT • 3 min 22 sec read.

Morgan Geekie of the Boston Bruins skates with the puck against Sam Reinhart of the Florida Panthers during the third period in Game 3. We expect Boston to struggle in our Panthers vs. Bruins Predictions.
Morgan Geekie of the Boston Bruins skates with the puck against Sam Reinhart of the Florida Panthers during the third period in Game 3. Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images via AFP.

The Boston Bruins host the Florida Panthers for Game 4 at TD Garden, as we offer our Panthers-Bruins analysis and prediction based on the best NHL odds.

In a fiercely contested second-round showdown, the Florida Panthers (52-24-6) showcased their dominance with a commanding 6-2 victory over the Boston Bruins (47-20-15) in Game 3, claiming a 2-1 series lead.

Now, the Bruins are determined to avoid slipping into a 3-1 deficit as they host the Panthers at TD Garden in Boston, Mass. The game is slated for Sunday at 6:30 p.m. ET (TBS, Sportsnet).

Once again, the Panthers head into Game 4 as the favored team, as indicated by Betway and our other best sports betting sites. Their impressive performance has propelled them to the forefront of the Stanley Cup odds, solidifying their position as legitimate contenders for the championship.

Here is our best Panthers vs. Bruins prediction and NHL picks (odds via our best NHL betting sites; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

Panthers vs. Bruins Game 4 expert pick

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Panthers vs. Bruins predictions for Sunday

Bruins Under 2.5 goals ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Things went from sullen to dire for the Bruins in Game 2. The bellowing boo birds brashly rained down on the home team during another sickly offensive performance, in which the Bruins mustered just eight shots on Sergei Bobrovsky through two periods.

At the end of the second period, the Bruins managed to fire 11 pucks on Bobrovsky through the previous 60 minutes of play, which included a measly three-shot output in the final 20 minutes of Game 2 in Florida. 

With five or fewer shots in nine of 27 periods (33%) during the postseason, the Bruins' palpable inability to make things more challenging for opposing netminders must feel like an incurable condition for Jim Montgomery's team. The B's aren't a team that fires willy-nilly; instead, they prefer to create good looks before letting fly. They had the second-lowest shots-on-goal average (29.3) of the 16 playoff participants entering the postseason. 

Through 10 playoff games, the Bruins find themselves in precisely the same spot, firing the second-fewest shots on goal per game (25.4) of the remaining eight teams. Only the Vancouver Canucks register fewer shots per game (20.5). 

Bruins creating enough chances despite lack of shots

The Bruins are creating chances despite their bewildering lack of shots. According to MoneyPuck.com, Boston has the second-most expected goals (21.12). Sure, they've played a game or two more than most remaining teams, but they would still be near the top regardless. Another staggering statistic shows the Bruins atop the high-danger shots created list with 24. That's five more than the second-place Panthers, who've played two fewer games. 

Unfortunately, Boston hasn't been nearly ruthless enough and has the second-worst shooting percentage of the remaining teams (8.04%). In addition, the Bruins' expected-goals tally has decreased recently, eclipsing three just once in the last four games. 

Where will Bruins' goals come from? 

The Bruins have scored two or fewer goals in five of their last six games. The only exception was their Game 1 outburst in which they scored five goals, one of which was an empty-netter. Brad Marchand was forced out of Game 2 after suffering an upper-body injury on a hit from Sam Bennett; his status for Game 4 is uncertain. 

Even if Marchand is good to go, he almost assuredly won't be fully fit. Despite being the Bruins' leading scorer in the playoffs (three goals, seven assists), Marchand has notched just two points in the previous six games. While enduring a patch as rough as extra-coarse sandpaper, the Bruins need the threat Marchand provides in the offensive end. 

If Marchand is forced to miss any time, too much of the burden will fall on Jake DeBrusk and David Pastrnak. DeBrusk, Marchand, and Pastrnak are the only Bruins with seven or more points. Pavel Zacha has five points, while seven others are stuck on four. 

Their offensive struggles are compounded by the Panthers' smothering defense, which relies on a relentless backcheck from the forwards and a forcefield-like wall at the blue line. Unless they receive the secondary scoring they did in Game 1 - a fairly unusual phenomenon - I can't see them lighting the lamp three times in Game 4.

Betway offers -115 odds on the Under for this wager, which has an implied probability of 53.49%. A winning $10 bet pays a profit of $8.70. 

Best odds: -115 via Betway

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Panthers vs. Bruins Game 4 info & odds

  • When: Sunday, May 12
  • Puck drop: 6:30 p.m. ET
  • Where: TD Garden, Boston
  • How to watch: TBS, Sportsnet
  • Favorite: Panthers (-150 via Betway)

Bruins-Panthers predictions made Saturday at 8 a.m. ET.

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Written By:
Gary Pearson
Gary Pearson is a sports writer specializing in hockey, soccer, NFL, and tennis coverage. He has 10 years of industry experience and has contributed to various publications, including BetMGM, Covers.com, the Hockey Writers, Yardbarker, NJ.com, the Miami Herald, the Canadian Press, and the Calgary Herald.