The battle of the sunshine state is poised to be a feisty and high-scoring series while Toronto
looks to slay its’ own demons as the Maple Leafs haven’t beaten Boston in the postseason
since 1959. The last three times these two clubs have met in the playoffs it went seven games
each time, and we could see them go the distance once again.
Panthers vs Lightning
Florida Panthers
Strength
The Florida Panthers came out of this regular season with a 2-1 series victory while outsourcing
the Bolts 15-9. Offense, offense, offense. That’s the name of the game for the Panthers. They
Sam Reinhart who scored the second-most goals on the year with 57 and led the league with 27
power play tucks. They have a power play that is rocking inside the top ten and Florida is
second in shots per game on the season at 33.7.
Weakness
They like to get under the skin of the opposition but sacrifice in terms of penalties taken. They
lead the league with 1116 PIMS on the year and will have to button things up in the postseason.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Strength
Nikita Kucherov went on an absolute tear this year. This year’s Art Ross Trophy winner became
just the fifth player in league history, and second this year after McDavid, to hit 100 assists in a
single season. He finished with 144 points and is one of three Tampa Bay players to have hit the 40 goal mark this season.
Weakness
Among playoff teams, they have the worst team goals against average at 3.26. While goaltender
Andrei Vasilevskiy hit the 30-win mark for the seventh straight season, his goals against
average and save percentage were the worst of his career.
Current Series Odds
Panthers -190
Lightning +165
Season Series
December 27: Florida 3 @ Tampa Bay 2
February 17: Florida 9 @ Tampa Bay 2
March 16: Tampa Bay 5 @ Florida 3
Bruins vs Maple Leafs
Boston Bruins
Strength
The Bruins got out the brooms and swept the season series against Toronto 4-0 by a total score
of 15-7. David Pastrnak is a beast and seemingly scores at will. He led the team with 47 goals
and 110 points on the year. They have a solid tandem in net with Jeremy Swayman and Linus
Ullmark who both posted respectable numbers once again.
Weakness
Speaking of that duo in net, the Bruins had a similar situation heading into last year’s
postseason. They failed to run with a 1-2 system and instead split the starts between
netminders which was a problem during their first-round exit.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Strength
They have the top goal-scorer in Auston Matthews who nearly hit the 70-goal mark for the first
time in his career but had to settle for 69. They boast the second best goals-for average at 3.36
goals per game.
Weakness
As usual, they’re top heavy. They have concerns on the backend and in net heading into the
postseason. Both Ilya Samsonov and Joseph Woll didn’t post the best regular season numbers
this year and could be liabilities when it counts.
Current Series Odds
Bruins -125
Maple Leafs +105
Season Series
November 2: Toronto 2 @ Boston 3
December 2: Boston 4 @ Toronto 3
March 4: Boston 4 @ Toronto 1
March 7: Toronto 1 @ Boston 4
For the latest NHL odds visit BetOnline.