The BB&T Center is playing host an East-West showdown as the Nashville Predators take on the Florida Panthers. It’s the final time that the two clubs will go at it in the regular season. The matchup gets underway at 7:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, April 3, and you are able to view the game live on Fox Sports Tennessee.
Nashville Predators at Florida Panthers Odds
Nashville enters the matchup as the favorite with a -130 moneyline. The line for Florida sits at +110 and the oddsmakers have put the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals. The odds for betting the total sit at -105 for the over and -115 for the under.
Nashville is 51-28 straight up (SU) and has earned moneyline bettors 13.7 units this season. Through 79 regular season matches, 39 of its games have gone over the total, while another 39 have gone under and just one has pushed. This 2017-18 Predators team is 24-15 SU on the road.
Nashville has converted on 20.2 percent of its power play chances this season, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, it has the eighth-best penalty kill in the league, and the team’s successfully killed off 82.2 percent of all penalties.
Nashville, as a collective unit, has been penalized 4.6 times per game overall during the 2017-18 season, and 6.0 per game over its past five. The team’s had to defend opponent power plays a whopping 15.8 minutes per game over their last five outings.
Boasting a .927 save percentage and 29.0 saves per game, Pekka Rinne (41-16-4) has been the primary option in goal for Nashville this season. If it chooses to give him a rest, however, head coach Peter Laviolette could turn to Juuse Saros (10-14-7), who has a .926 save percentage and 2.41 goals against average this year.
Filip Forsberg and Viktor Arvidsson will both lead the way for the visiting Predators. Forsberg (61 points) is up to 23 goals and 38 assists, and has recorded two or more points in 16 different games. Arvidsson has 29 goals and 31 assists to his credit (and has notched a point in 42 games).
On the other bench, Florida is 40-38 straight up (SU) and has lost 1.3 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 78 regular season outings, 38 of its games have gone over the total, while 37 have gone under and just two have pushed. It’s 24-14 SU at home this year.
Florida has converted on 19.2 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 14th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 80.9 percent of all opponent power plays.
Florida skaters have been sent to the penalty box 4.2 times per game in total this season, and 2.6 per game over their last five match ups. The team has been forced to kill penalties just 8.2 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
James Reimer has stopped 28.1 shots per game as the top netminder in goal for Florida. Reimer has 20 wins, 22 losses, and six overtime losses to his name and has recorded a mediocre 3.00 goals against average and a .911 save percentage this year.
Aleksander Barkov (26 goals, 51 assists) will pace the offensive counter for the Panthers.
Nashville Predators vs. Florida Panthers Betting Picks
Free NHL Pick: SU Winner – Panthers, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Trends
The total has gone over in three of Nashville’s last five games.
Nashville has managed 28.2 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while Florida is averaging 38.0 shots per game over its last five at home.
Power-play chances may play a critical role tonight. The Predators are 18-6 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 25-14 in games where they serve fewer than 10 penalty minutes, in total. The Panthers are 17-21 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 20-24 when their penalty minutes are in the single digits.
Two of Nashville’s last ten games have been decided by a shootout. The team is 1-1 in those games and 6-7 overall in shootouts this season.
One of the best teams when it comes to pressuring their opponents, Florida is ranked 4th overall this season with 8.8 takeaways per game. That figure’s trended lower recently, however, as it has created 8.1 takeaways over its last 10 games and 7.4 takeaways over its last five.
Nashville has created 7.2 takeaways per game over its last five road games, its season average of 7.9 takeaways per game (ranked 12th overall).
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