Bruins vs. Panthers: NHL Playoffs Same Game Parlay Picks (Monday)
The Boston Bruins and the Florida Panthers kick off their best-of-seven Eastern Conference second-round series at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Fla., on Monday night. The game can be viewed or streamed on ESPN, and the puck drop is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET.
The Bruins avoided dubious history in Game 7 against the Toronto Maple Leafs. It went down 1-0 in the third period, and Boston was in danger of becoming the first North American sports franchise in either MLB, NBA or NHL history to blow a 3-1 series lead in consecutive seasons. The B’s bounced back, leveled the game, forced overtime and scored early in OT on a David Pastrnak fortuitous bounce. He collected the puck off the boards and streaked right-to-left in front of Ilya Samsonov for the game-winning tally.
These teams met last season in the first round, and it was a coming-out party for the Florida Panthers. Boston had won the President’s Trophy in the 2022-23 regular season and were heavy favorites to advance. The Cats had other ideas. Again, Boston was up 3-1 in the series, but Florida streaked all the way back to stun the B’s in seven outings, including a Game 7 win at TD Garden in Boston.
This time around, the Panthers have the home-ice advantage, and we’ll see if that makes a big difference. Let’s get started!
We’ll take a look at a plus-money Same-Game Parlay to wager in this Eastern Conference first-round encounter. Make sure to follow me @danieledobish on X to get more free plays, NHL prop bets and NHL best bets during the week.
Monday's Best NHL Same Game Parlay
(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)
Leg 1: Bruins Moneyline (+138)
Call me crazy, but Boston comes into this one with a lot of momentum, and it just played Saturday night at home. Florida, meanwhile, has been sitting since April 29. The Panthers dispatched the Tampa Bay Lightning in five games, and while the rest is great for bumps and bruises at this time of year, it can also be the kiss of death. Momentum is huge in the postseason, and so is routine. When you have several days off, it can throw things off a bit. If you were to go to work every day from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and then suddenly had three days off and had to… actually, yeah, that would probably be awesome. But NHL players are creatures of habit and need that structured routine and frequent playing.
More importantly, to the argument to back Boston in Game 1 is that aforementioned revenge factor. The B’s had it all season. Since that 4-3 OT loss in Game 7 last season, the Bruins have been on a mission, at least where the Panthers are concerned. Boston won 3-2 in OT on Oct. 30 at home in the first meeting between the teams. It won 3-1 in Sunrise around Thanksgiving as a slight underdog (+105) as the Under (6) cashed. The B’s won again in Florida on March 26, 4-3, cashing as a moderate underdog (+125) as the Over (6) hit for the only time this season. And it finished off a 4-0 regular-season series sweep with a 3-2 OT win in Beantown on April 6.
The B’s will throw everything and the kitchen sink at the Cats, trying to grab the early advantage in this series.
Leg 2: Brad Marchand Anytime Goal Scorer (+250)
Feelings and betting must ALWAYS be separated. I’ll be honest: I hate Brad Marchand. I would probably love him if he were on my team. He’s an irritant, and I tend to gravitate toward those kinds of players when they’re on my favorite team. Heck, I even try to emulate that kind of play when I’m on the ice on select Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays in my adult league. That said, I dislike him wearing that particular sweater. Still, you have to admit, he’s good, especially when it comes to postseason hockey.
The 35-year-old Nova Scotian tailed off in Round 1 after a blazing hot start. He had three goals and eight points with a plus-2 rating, including two power-play goals and six points on the man advantage. He was also credited with two game-winning goals against the Maple Leafs in the series. He was scoreless in the final three games and didn’t even attempt a shot in Games 5 and 7. Expect Marchand to come out with his hair on fire for Game 1, and for the opportunity to multiply up by 2.5 times, he is too tempting to pass up.
Leg 3: Matthew Tkachuk Anytime Goal Scorer (+175)
Speaking of players you love to hate, there is this rat. Matthew Tkachuk is a younger version of Marchand at 26 years old. He is an absolute jerk on the ice, but you know what? He is also very good at ice hockey, and you’d love him if he was wearing the sweater of your favorite team. Tkachuk gets things done. He irritates the other team. He is brash. Tkachuk goads people into things.
He also managed at least two points in four of the five games against the Lightning in Round 1, amassing three goals and nine points in five games, posting a plus-4 rating with two power-play assists and the winner in Game 1. For a standalone wager, you can more than double up if Tkachuk (+220) has another multi-point game. He’ll be tested a lot more by Boston’s defense than he was against Tampa Bay. Still, how do you pass this opportunity up? For an SGP, though, you can’t include the multi-point game. However, you can do an AGS prop instead.
If you bet $100 on the three wagers above, and they all payout on this three-leg parlay, that’s a payout of $2,054.12. Sign me up. I’ll cheer for the devil(s) on both sides to score and hope for a mild upset in Game 1. I cheer for Darth Vader in “Star Wars†movies. This is a super attractive SGP play at FanDuel. Good luck!
Same Game Parlay Odds: +2054