Islanders at Panthers NHL Playoff Odds Pick

The Atlantic Division champion Florida Panthers will tangle with the wild card New York Islanders in the first round of the 2016 NHL playoffs. The series opens on Thursday night down in the Sunshine State. This will be one of the more competitive series in the Eastern Conference, as both of these teams have played hard down the stretch — and both have gone through long stretches without much to show for their work in the postseason. The Panthers have failed to make the playoffs for 13 of the last 15 seasons, while the Islanders have missed the playoffs six of the last nine seasons. Be sure to lookout for more NHL betting lines by clicking here.

Atlantic Division Champion #FlaPanthers to Meet @NYIslanders in Round 1. Schedule >> https://t.co/xqDS1wYncN pic.twitter.com/H0d79aeSIm

— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) April 11, 2016

Islanders at Panthers NHL Playoff Odds Pick & TV Info

When: Thursday, April 14, 8:00 PM ET Where: BB&T Center, Sunrise, Florida TV: FS-F, CNBC, SN, TVAS2 Radio: Florida / New York Stream Option: NHL.tv NHL Odds: TBA

Why Should You Bet on Florida to Win?

The Panthers came back to win the Atlantic Division this season, fending off a huge rally in January and February by the Tampa Bay Lightning. Shawn Thornton has two Stanley Cup rings and is joined by veterans Jussi Jokinen and Jaromir Jagr, as well as Roberto Luongo between the pipes. They have tremendous young talent, and such players as Jonathan Huberdeau, Vincent Trocheck, Nick Bjugstad, Aaron Ekblad and Aleksander Barkov will be appearing in their first postseason — and will be hungry for a series win. The Panthers get New York without their top goalie, Jaroslav Halak, which means that Thomas Greiss will be in net. He has a 23-11-4 record this season, but he has not appeared in a playoff game since 2010, when he was with San Jose. The Panthers can shake his confidence by peppering him with shots from the get-go.

Why Should You Put Your Money on the Islanders to Win?

The Islanders have a style similar to that of the Pittsburgh Penguins, which means they play for speed and pace. They win a ton of faceoffs and do not turn the puck over often. When they get going in transition, they can put up goals in bunches. If the Panthers try to make this a track meet, that could backfire given the Islanders’ strength in the transition game. The Islanders also have two aging opponents in Jagr and Luongo. Jagr appeared in the 2013 playoffs with Boston, and despite his grueling workout regimen, he had nothing in the tank by the time made the finals.

Expert Betting Pick and Final Series Prediction

Jagr is crucial in this series. When he scored a point this season, Florida went 31-10-6 and 18-2-2 when he had a goal. If he is tired in this series, the Panthers will not have as much momentum. The Islanders look to captain John Tavares (nine points in the last five games) to stand up and play an outstanding series. I like the plucky Islanders to make it to the second round from this series because of their gritty campaign this season. I’m predicting the New York Islanders in six.