Bruins vs Panthers: Preview; Betting Odds And Picks

The Boston Bruins can put a stranglehold on the Atlantic Division when they host the Florida Panthers on Saturday afternoon at TD Garden.

This is the final time the division rivals will meet in the 2023-24 regular season, and the Bruins have a chance to go up by six points in the division standings with just four games left for each team after today. After blowing a 3-1 series lead and losing in seven games to the Panthers in the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Bruins have owned the defending Eastern Conference champions, going 3-0-0 against them this season. That won’t matter, though, if the Florida Panthers can upset the Bruins once again in a nationally televised game and pull within two points for the division lead.

“It’s awesome,” Boston Bruins defenseman and Florida native Andrew Peeke said after practice on Friday. “It raises the stakes. Everyone’s juiced up; they know what’s at stake, and that’s the best part of it.”

Here’s your Boston Hockey Now Bruins Game Day Preview:

Boston Bruins (45-17-15, 105 pts) vs Florida Panthers (48-24-5, 101 pts)

Time: 3:38 p.m. ET

How to watch: ABC, ESPN+, SN, TVAS

Radio: 98.5 The Sports Hub

Betting Lines:

Money Line: Bruins (-118) Panthers (-102)

Puck Line: Bruins -1.5 (+220), Panthers +1.5 (-270)

Over/Under: Over 6 (-118) Under 6 (-102)

Picks:

Draw (+310)

Over 6 (+110)

David Pastrnak Anytime Goal Scorer (-110)

Brad Marchand Anytime Goal Scorer (+265)

Danton Heinen Anytime Goal Scorer (+390)

Pavel Zacha Over 0.5 pt (-115)

Sam Bennett Anytime Goal Scorer (+250)

Anton Lundell Over 0.5 pt (+135)

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Bost0n Bruins Notes

–David Pastrnak leads the Bruins in goals (47), assists (59), and points with 106 in 77 games. Pastrnak is riding a two-game goal streak with a goal in each of his last two games and a three-game point streak with two goals and three assists over that span.

-Linus Ullmark will start for the Bruins. Ullmark is 4-2-0 with a 1.51 GAA and .950 save percentage since the March 8 NHL Trade Deadline when he nixed a trade that would’ve sent him to a Western Conference team. The 2023 Vezina Trophy winner made 31 saves in a 3-0 shutout over the Nashville Predators this past Tuesday and is 20-9-7 with a 2.57 GAA and a .917 save percentage entering today’s tilt with the Panthers.

-Bruins forward Pavel Zacha has a five-game point streak going with two goals and six assists over that span.

-Bruins captain Brad Marchand snapped a ten-game goalless streak and scored his 400th career goal in the 4-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night.

-Rookie center Matthew Poitras (shoulder) is out for the season; defenseman Derek Forbort (upper and lower body) is likely done for the season, and winger Justin Brazeau (upper body) is week-to-week. Veteran winger Milan Lucic is on indefinite leave for the remainder of the season.

Boston Bruins Lineup

Forwards

Danton Heinen — Pavel Zacha — David Pastrnak

Brad Marchand — Charlie Coyle — Morgan Geekie

Jake DeBrusk — Jesper Boqvist — Trent Frederic

James van Riemsdyk — John Beecher — Jakub Lauko

Defensemen

Hampus Lindholm – Charlie McAvoy

Parker Wotherspoon – Brandon Carlo

Matt Grzelcyk – Andrew Peeke

Goalies

Linus Ullmark

Jeremy Swayman