Game 1 of the NHL Eastern Conference Finals is set for Wednesday night, and this should be a terrific series of hockey. The Florida Panthers will be on the road against the New York Rangers, but Florida is the favorite to win this series.
Florida comes into this series with a ton of momentum after getting past the Boston Bruins in the previous round of the playoffs. The Panthers had a terrific regular season, but they have finally been able to find some postseason success.
New York is another team that is looking to take the next step this season in terms of postseason success. The Rangers had a tough series with the Carolina Panthers, but they were able to close out that series.
In Game 1 of the series, the Florida Panthers are moneyline favorites at -115, and the over/under line is set at 5.5 total goals.
Panthers Playing Some Defense
The Florida Panthers have been nearly impossible to score on all season long, and that trend has continued throughout the postseason as well. Florida allowed just 2.42 goals per game during the regular season, and they completely shut down the Boston Bruins.
The Panthers had some questionable hits throughout that series against the Bruins, but this team is clearly looking to be aggressive and physical. Florida did struggle to do much scoring in that series, but it’s never easy to score on the Bruins.
Matthew Tkachuck is leading the Panthers with 14 points so far in the playoffs, and he will need to be a major key for this team moving forward.
Rangers Rolling on Offense
The New York Rangers were surprisingly good on offense this season as they averaged 3.39 goals per game this season. New York has been able to continue that trend in the postseason as they come into this series with momentum on offense.
Chris Kreider is leading the way for the Rangers on offense in the playoffs as he has scored a total of seven goals. New York has been able to cash in on the power play throughout the playoffs, and that has helped to key their run.
Goaltender Igor Shesterkin continues to be one of the best players in the playoffs as he is allowing just 2.40 goals against per game this season.
New York Wins Series Opener
Florida could show a bit of rust in Game 1 of this series, and that is going to be an even bigger issue on the road. The Panthers just weren’t a good offensive team in the previous series, and they are now facing a really good goaltender.
New York wants to win games on defense and by being physical, but this team has also been finding plenty of offense of late. The Rangers have a ton of players that are stepping up in the offensive zone, and that will be a key in this matchup.
Bet the New York Rangers at -115 on the moneyline as they are going to win Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
