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The pick — Florida first-period spread -0.5 vs. Boston (+145, BetMGM)
The Panthers were supposed to unveil their 2023-24 Stanley Cup championship banner to kick off their season, but they have postponed the ceremony due to Hurricane Milton. The game will still be played as scheduled on Tuesday when Florida faces the Boston Bruins, who have been ousted from the last two postseasons by the Panthers.
The Bruins have re-tooled their lineup by adding big-name free agents on the front end (center Elias Lindholm) and on the back end (defenseman Nikita Zadorov). They also finally signed goalie Jeremy Swayman to a long-term contract.
Florida is returning the core that helped it raise Lord Stanley’s Cup last June. The Panthers also filled holes on the roster with some key depth additions.
A new NHL season means there is not a ton of data to assess, but the trend I do like is for the home team to have at least a one-goal lead after the first period.
In 2023, Florida led 2-0 after the first period in its home opener. The year before, the Panthers were up 2-1 after one period.
I expect Florida to rally around its already embattled community and start hot in the opening 20 minutes.
Bonus pick — Connor Bedard OVER 2.5 shots on goal at Utah (-155, BetMGM)
Bedard heads into his sophomore campaign with an opening road trip to the newly formed Utah Hockey Club, formerly the Arizona Coyotes.
How did Bedard fare last season against Utah/Arizona? In three games, he had three goals and three assists on 11 shots.
That’s over this mark. I would even play this at 3.5 if you can find it.