Top Shelf Picks: Best NHL Bets Today (Take Panthers to Take Down Bruins in Game 1)

The Boston Bruins squeaked by the Toronto Maple Leafs in overtime in Game 7 and earned the right to take on the Florida Panthers in the second round.

This will be a rematch of last year's Round 1 series when. The Bruins blew a 3-1 series lead, allowing the Panthers to win three-straight which kicked off a run to the Stanley Cup Final.

Will Boston get its revenge? Can the well-rested Panthers get off to a hot start tonight? Stay tuned to find out.

I've bet on every game so far these NHL Playoffs and I'm currently sitting with a 25-20 record for a profit of +0.61 units.

NHL Best Bets Tonight

• Panthers -165 vs. Bruins

Bruins vs. Panthers Prediction

I'm riding the chalk for Game 1 tonight. Not only are the Panthers the more rested team, but they're the overall better team in this series and I don't think it's particularly close. Florida dominated the Lightning in the first round, with an expected goal differential of +1.16 per 60 minutes of play.

They were also the far superior team in the regular season. They finished the year ranking second in CORSI%, third in expected goals percentage, and fourth in high-danger scoring chance differential. The Bruins ranked 24th, 20th, and 18th in those three categories.

The Panthers also have the goaltending to match the Bruins, something the Leafs failed at with Ilya Samsonov in net. Sergei Bobrovsky had a .915 save percentage in the regular season and he's coming off a playoff run last year where he dragged an inferior version of this team to the Stanley Cup Final.

I'll back them as significant favorites to get the job done at home in Game 1 tonight.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

You can check out all of Iain's bets here!