Trent Reinsmith
- The Boston Bruins enter their 2023 NHL Stanley Cup Playoff Series against the Florida Panthers on the heels of a record-breaking 2023 NHL regular season.
- The Bruins and Panthers each won two games against the other during the 2023 NHL regular season.
- Matthew Tkachuk is the key to the Florida Panthers’ success.
The Boston Bruins finished the 2023 NHL regular season with an amazing 65-12-5 record. The team finished in first place in the Eastern Conference, won the Presidents’ Trophy, and set NHL records for most wins and most points in the league’s history with 135 points. Meanwhile, the Florida Panthers made it into the 2023 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs as a wild card team with a record of 42-32-8 and 92 points.
The Bruins and Panthers are in the opposite positions they were going into last year’s playoffs. In 2022, the Panthers finished the season as Eastern Conference champions and Presidents’ Trophy winners with 122 points. As for the Bruins, they made it into the playoffs with 107 points as a wild card team.
In the 2022 Eastern Conference NHL playoffs, the Carolina Hurricanes eliminated the Bruins in the first round in seven games. Florida made it to the second round of the 2022 NHL playoffs, beating the Washington Capitals in six games before the Tampa Bay Lightning swept them in four games.
Before we look at the first-round matchup of the 2023 NHL Eastern Conference playoffs between the Florida Panthers and the Boston Bruins, check out our guide to betting on the 2023 Stanley Cup and our tips for betting on the NHL.
Boston Bruins vs. Florida Panthers betting picks for NHL Eastern Conference Playoff Series
| To Win First Round NHL Eastern Conference Playoff Series |  |  |  |
| Florida Panthers | +260 | +265 | +250 |
| Boston Bruins | -310 | -330 | -300 |
Florida Panthers betting breakdown
The Florida Panthers finished the 2023 NHL season with a 23-13-5 home record and a 19-19-3 road number. Florida finished the season strong, going 6-3-1 in their last 10 games, but they lost their final game of the season, falling 6-4 to the Carolina Hurricanes.
Matthew Tkachuk, who the Panthers picked up in a trade before the 2023 NHL season began, had a career season in his first year with the team. The 25-year-old, first-round pick of the Calgary Flames, Tkachuk was the Panthers’ scoring leader with 109 points. His 40 goals were second on the team behind goal-scoring leader Carter Verhaeghe, who potted 42 goals. Meanwhile, Tkachuk’s 69 assists were most on the club. Besides Tkachuk and Verhaeghe, the Panthers had two players with 20 or more goals in Sam Reinhart (31) and Aleksander Barkov (23).
Florida’s starting goaltender, Sergei Bobrovsky had a 3.07 goals against average to go with a .901 save percentage.
The Panthers finished the 2023 season with 290 goals for and 273 goals against for a +17 goal differential.
Boston Bruins betting breakdown
The Boston Bruins‘ home record in 2023 was a remarkable 34-4-3. Boston also had a very strong road mark at 31-8-2. With a 2023 Stanley Cup Playoff spot secured, the Bruins kept their foot on the gas all season. The team only lost back-to-back games once, and their longest losing skid was three games. Boston enters the 2023 NHL playoffs as one of the hottest teams in the league, finishing the season with eight straight wins.
David Pastrnak, who the Bruins drafted in the first round of the 2014 NHL entry draft, led the Bruins in scoring after breaking the 100-point barrier for the first time in his NHL career. Pastrnak was tops on the Boston club in points (113), goals (61), and assists (52). Four other players on the club scored more than 20 goals during the 2023 NHL season: Patrice Bergeron, Jake DeBrusk, Brad Marchand, and Pavel Zacha.
Goaltending has been a strong suit for the Bruins this year with Linus Ullmark leading the league in goals against average (1.89), save percentage (.938), and wins (40).
2023 NHL Regular Season: Head-to-Head
The Bruins and Panthers met four times during the 2023 NHL regular season. Each team won two games in their home building, with the most recent game taking place on January 28 when the Panthers topped the Bruins 4-3 in OT.
Bruins vs. Panthers Playoff Series Schedule
Game 1 at Boston: Monday, April 17 at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
Game 2 at Boston: Wednesday, April 19 at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
Game 3 at Florida: Friday, April 21 at 7:30 p.m. on TNT
Game 4 at Florida: Sunday, April 23 at 3:30 p.m. on TNT
Game 5* at Boston: Wednesday, April 26 (time and channel TBD)
Game 6* at Florida: Friday, April 28 (time and channel TBD)
Game 7* at Boston: Sunday, April 30 (time and channel TBD)
*if necessary
Best bets for the Boston Bruins vs. Florida Panthers Playoff Series
The Bruins have been the most consistent team of the 2023 NHL season. Barring injuries or a goaltending collapse, Boston will beat the Florida Panthers. The best bets for this series are to pick the Bruins to win and to beat the Panthers in five games.
Pick: Boston Bruins to beat the Florida Panthers in five games
See below the top sportsbooks where you can wager online and choose the best one for you:
