The Florida Panthers host the New York Rangers on Monday night at Amerant Bank Arena. Puck drop is at 7:00 PM ET. Florida has already clinched a playoff spot and is coming off three straight wins. New York, on the other hand, has been eliminated from playoff contention after Saturday’s loss to Carolina.
These teams last met on December 30 when Florida beat New York 5-3. Florida enters this matchup with a 47-29-4 record, while the Rangers are 37-36-7. The Panthers are 27-11-2 at home this season and are likely to start Sergei Bobrovsky in goal after he was rested on Saturday.
FLA Preview – Warming Up for the Playoffs
Florida has won three in a row and is focused on staying sharp for the postseason. The Panthers were without several top scorers in their last game, including Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Reinhart, and Sam Bennett. Despite that, they pulled out a 3-2 shootout win against Buffalo.
Bobrovsky is expected to start. He has allowed just one goal in each of his last two starts and is 33-18-2 this season with a 2.39 goals-against average. Florida has been strong defensively, allowing just 2.66 goals per game while keeping opponents to only 26.15 shots on average.
The Panthers have also hit the under often, especially at home. They’ve gone under the total in 32 of their last 55 home games. The team isn’t forcing offense with injured players out and is content to play low-event hockey until the playoffs begin.
NYR Preview – A Season That Fell Flat
The Rangers are out of the playoff race after a 7-3 loss to Carolina. It’s a major drop from last year, when they won the Presidents’ Trophy and reached the Eastern Conference Final. The team has lost four of its last five games and is 4-8-1 over its last 13.
Igor Shesterkin will finish the season with a losing record for the first time. His goals-against average is 2.91, and his .903 save percentage is well below his career average. He’s still made more saves than any goalie in the NHL this year but has not gotten enough help defensively.
Veterans like Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad have seen a drop in production. Artemi Panarin leads the team with 37 goals, but even his numbers are down from last season. The Rangers’ effort and energy have been inconsistent as they wrap up a disappointing year.
Betting Prediction
Florida is a -155 favorite at home, with the total set at 5.5. The Panthers have been reliable at home and are still playing disciplined hockey. They’ve hit the under in a majority of their home games, and with key scorers possibly still out, this could be a lower-scoring game again.
New York has nothing to play for and has struggled defensively. Florida is likely to control the game with their structure and goaltending. Look for the Panthers to pick up a fourth straight win while keeping the score under the total.
Pick: Panthers ML and Under 5.5
Take Florida to win this one over New York on Monday. Enjoy the game and best of luck!
