Stadium: BB&T Center (Sunrise)
One of the season's top favourites, the New York Islanders got off to a poor start as they lost 3-6 away to Carolina. Will Barry Trotz's team be able to make up for the loss to Florida? There are several options to bet on at once.
Florida are the Joel Quenneville's project, the creator of the Chicago Blackhawks
The Panthers begin their third season under Joel Quenneville. The Panthers took their signature offensive hockey to the next level last season and made a lot of progress. It's a shame they fell to Tampa in the first round of the playoffs. Both Nashville and Carolina could have fought on a level playing field. Coach Quenneville knows how to succeed in the NHL, so further progress for the Floridians is likely.
In the first game of the new championship, the Panthers unleashed their offensive might and won! Albeit in overtime - 5:4 over Pittsburgh. Aaron Ekblad capped off the double-double with a minute and a half interval, scoring two goals shortly before the end of the third period to make the score 2-4.
Islanders hurt by calendar and goalie injury
Kicking off the season with an away game against Carolina was not a good matchup. The Hurricanes changed their lineup slightly in the offseason and seemed to have become even more potent. In addition, the New York Islanders had to do without Semyon Varlamov, who has not had time to recover from injury. Ilya Sorokin, though he played in the last playoffs, still lacks confidence in his abilities. The result was a 3-6 victory. The Islanders had little chance of success.
Expert Betting Tips
Semyon Varlamov's participation in the match is again in question, which means he is unlikely to play. No one will risk the goalie's health at the start of the championship, of course. Florida will once again have plenty of opportunities to show their offensive potential. The Panthers are no less potent than Carolina, scoring six goals against the LA. But the Islanders themselves don't mind making some noise in the paint. In addition, the Panthers are as accurate offensively as they are unreliable defensively. Sergei Bobrovsky is Florida's primary goaltender for the new season, and something tells me he could do no better than the previous season.
We predict that the teams will have a night of attacking highlights.
Betting options:
- Total Over 5.5 for 1.83;
- Total Over 6 for 2.25.