The Florida Panthers and New York Rangers meet in Game 2 of the best-of-7 Eastern Conference Final Friday. The Panthers lead the series 1-0. Puck drop from Madison Square Garden is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET (ESPN/ESPN+). Below, we analyze FanDuel Sportsbook’s lines around the Panthers vs. Rangers odds, and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
Florida enters Game 2 with the early series advantage after their 3-0 victory Wednesday, cashing as a (-115) road favorite.
Panthers LW Matthew Tkachuk recorded a goal and an assist in Game 1 as he currently leads the team in points (16) this postseason. Florida coach Paul Maurice told reporters postGame that the superstar “righted our team back to the simple parts of our Game.”
The Rangers had 12 giveaways compared to just 2 for the Panthers in Game 1. The Blueshirts are 20-3-1 in the regular season and postseason when C Matt Rempe is in the lineup, so reinserting the 21-year-old enforcer may be a potential solution to breaking up this Florida forecheck.
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Panthers at Rangers odds
Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 11:38 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Panthers -114 (bet $114 to win $100) | Rangers -105 (bet $105 to win $100)
- Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Panthers -1.5 (+225) | Rangers +1.5 (-280)
- Over/Under (O/U): 5.5 (O: +104 | U: -128)
Panthers at Rangers projected goalies
Sergei Bobrovsky (9-3, 2.18 GAA, .909 SV%, 1 SO) vs. Igor Shesterkin (8-3, 2.37 GAA, .926 SV%)
The 35-year-old Bobrovsky is coming off his 2nd career postseason shutout. He saved 24 shots in Game 1 and has allowed 2 goals or fewer in 6 straight starts.
In reality, Shesterkin really only allowed 1 goal in Game 1. LW Alexis Lafreniere inadvertently put the puck past his goalie for the own goal to make it 2-0, plus C Sam Bennett netted an empty-netter in the waning moments.
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Panthers at Rangers picks and predictions
Prediction
Florida 3, New York 2
Moneyline
BET FLORIDA (-114).
D Gustav Forsling has been outstanding this postseason and was a huge reason for the Panthers’ success in Game 1. Conversely for the Rangers on the defensive end, D Adam Fox has no points in his last 5 games, and the D-corps has combined for only 16 points this entire postseason.
Expect Florida to continue to play its effective style that will wear down the Rangers, and this series will head to Sunrise with the Cats holding a 2-0 series advantage.
Puck line/Against the spread
PASS.
This is too much juice to take the Blueshirts +1.5 (-280). However, the President’s Trophy winners are capable of hanging with the Panthers, so I would rather make a small play on WILL THERE BE OVERTIME: YES (+340).
Over/Under
BET UNDER 5.5 (-128).
Florida was the most penalized team in the Eastern Conference during the regular season, but the Cats have done a good job avoiding the box by being more disciplined after the whistle in the playoffs. Plus, ultimately with these 2 outstanding netminders, it’s difficult to come up with a strong argument for an Over play.
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