Game 6 of the Eastern Conference second-round series between the Florida Panthers and Boston Bruins will take place at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, on Friday, May 17, at 7:00 PM ET. The Panthers are the favorites, with moneyline odds of -140.
The Panthers cannot afford to continue to have the series pushed further along with losses, as they will eventually run out of opportunities to advance. Their offense came up short in Game 5, as they could only fire up a single goal.
Sam Reinhart scored the only goal for them, and it took him eight shots to get there. Sergei Bobrovsky did not have a bad game, with 26 out of 28 shots saved, but their offense failed to bring up the intensity.
They are going to need to make a stand on the road one last time, especially since they just failed in their home arena to end this series. Can they find success on the road?
During the season, the Panthers' offense ranked 11th in the league, while their defense ranked second. In this postseason, Aleksander Barkov has put together five goals and earned eight assists, while Matthew Tkachuk has landed four goals and provided nine assists.
The Bruins were able to keep their playoff hopes alive when they defeated the Panthers in Game 5. They scored a goal in each of the first two periods to get the ball rolling, and they were able to have a stout defense, as they also gave up just one goal.
Charlie McAvoy was able to push through with a goal and an assist. Jeremy Swayman had an incredible night in the net and made 28 saves out of the 29 shots he faced. You could not ask for a better performance on both ends, but they will need to keep this up once again.
Their defense has struggled at times throughout the postseason season here, having given up six goals in two of their last three defeats. It is no secret to their success what needs to happen for the upcoming game, as the Bruins need their defense to improve.
The Bruins ranked 12th in the league offensively and sixth defensively. Jake DeBrusk has recorded five goals and five assists this postseason, while Brad Marchand has chimed in strong with three goals and seven assists.
MyBookie has provided the betting odds, positioning the Florida Panthers as minor contenders for victory. They have won in both meetings at the Bruins home arena, which bodes well for their success. Look for the Panthers to close out this series here.
