Florida vs Boston Prediction 7 May 2024

Last year, the teams clashed in the very first round of the playoffs, and Florida, considered the underdog, dramatically passed Boston, ultimately reaching the finals. This time, the paths of the rivals crossed in the second round, and the situation has changed drastically. Now the "panthers" are the favorites and will start the series at their home "Emerant Bank Arena" in Sunrise.

Florida had a powerful regular season, winning the Atlantic Division, and in the first round faced Tampa. Paul Maurice's charges did not experience any particular problems in the confrontation with the "lightning," finishing the series in five games. They had almost a week to prepare for the second round. The opponent's defense was torn apart by Verhaeghe and Tkachuk, who scored 9 points each, while Bobrovsky was reliably solid in goal.

Boston, on the other hand, finished the regular season just one point behind Florida, but the "bears" did not manage to breeze through the first round as well. They led with a score of 3-1 but allowed Toronto to restore parity. The fate of the ticket to the conference semifinals was decided in overtime of the seventh game, where Pastrnak scored the winning goal. The most productive player on Jim Montgomery's team at the end of the confrontation with the "leafs" was the veteran Brad Marchand (3+5).

Projected lineups:

Florida: Bobrovsky – Montour, Mikko – Tkachuk, Lundell, Verhaeghe

Boston: Swayman – McAvoy, Lohrei – Zacha, Haula, Pastrnak

The participation of Bennett in the match is questionable for the hosts. The guests will be without Poitras and Pick. These are significant, but not critical losses.

Florida lost all 4 matches to Boston in the past regular season, losing by one goal or even in overtime. But now the "panthers" feel as confident as ever, and what's more important, they had a full rest before the second round. The "bears" barely had time to finish the previous series before it was time to start a new one. They will be lacking strength, so we believe in the attacking power of the hosts and bet that they will score at least three goals.