The Florida Panthers are off to one of the best starts in franchise history but could be on upset alert Monday when they visit the New York Rangers. Which way to lean at BMR’s top-rated sportsbooks?
Florida Panthers vs. New York Rangers
Monday, November 08, 2021 – 07:00 PM EST at Madison Square Garden
The NHL likes to take it easy on Monday and there are only three games on the schedule, with Panthers-Rangers easily the best of the trio. It can be streamed on ESPN+.
It starts a challenging four-game road trip along the East Coast for Florida, which has yet to play more than two straight on the road this season. The Cats do play again Tuesday in New Jersey so that will affect which goaltender goes Monday. It’s not part of a B2B for the Rangers.
Because teams only played inside their division last regular season, the Panthers and Rangers didn’t meet. In 2019-20, Florida won both matchups, including 6-5 in a shootout at Madison Square Garden in what is the highest-scoring game between the clubs.
Panthers Should Be Cup Favorites
Florida (10-0-1) is the only team in the NHL without a regulation loss but not favored on Bovada’s NHL futures odds (visit our Bovada Review) to win the Stanley Cup. That would be Colorado at +650 with Florida next at +750. The Cats are +400 Eastern Conference favorites.
They come off a 5-2 rout of a stellar Carolina team on Saturday; the Hurricanes entered unbeaten. Anthony Duclair was the No. 1 star for Florida with two goals and two assists – he factored on three of Florida’s four first-period goals. The team record for points in a period is four by Noel Acciari on Dec. 20, 2019 in the second and Olli Jokinen in the third period of a March 17, 2007 game.
Spencer Knight stopped 30 shots to improve to 8-0-1 with a 2.43 GAA and .918 SV in his regular-season career. The youngster and Sergei Bobrovsky generally have been sharing time in net but Bobrovsky is out with a lower-body injury. So, we’ll have to assume Knight starts here. He has never faced the Rangers.
Aleksander Barkov, who is tied for the team lead with 12 points and is plus-10, missed Saturday’s game with a lower-body injury and is day-to-day. Fellow winger Sam Bennett is out with an upper-body injury. He has four goals and three assists in eight games.
Florida’s streak of 11 straight games to open a season with at least a point is one shy of the team record and longest in the league since the 2012-13 Blackhawks had a point in 24 in a row. The Panthers are 20-8 on NHL odds their past 28 after a win.
Rangers Back From Road Trip
New York (6-3-3) has lost three straight and looked totally flat Saturday in the second of a back-to-back, stomped 6-0 in Calgary. Igor Shesterkin has been very good this season but wasn’t in that one in allowing all six goals on 37 shots. The Russian is 5-2-2 with a 2.31 GAA and .930 SV.
Adam Fox scored with 1:43 remaining in the first, but Calgary successfully challenged Sammy Blais was offside before Fox entered the zone.
"It obviously would’ve been nice if that counted, but it was 1-0 at that point," Rangers forward Barclay Goodrow said. "One goal isn’t going to deflate us when the lead is only one. Obviously it would’ve been great to have. We have to do a better job in responding after we get scored against."
Winger Filip Chytil collided with Blais in the first period and had to leave the game. No word yet on if Chytil will be able to play Monday. He has two goals and an assist in 12 games.
There was one piece of good news from Saturday in the return of forward Ryan Reaves from an injury. He had been out since Oct. 25. Reaves was minus-1 in 14:00 vs. Calgary. New York needs all the good forwards it can get as it averages a scant 2.42 goals per game. The team lists five different players as right-wingers including Reaves. They have combined for just three goals.
The Rangers are 1-5 at BMR’s top-rated books in their past six at home. I’m surprised this price is so low.
NHL Pick: Panthers at (-115) with BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
