Florida Panthers Crushing Competition – March 15

Despite a loss last night to Carolina, the Florida Panthers have been the hottest team in hockey over the last month. The Panthers have won eight of their last ten games and 14 of their last 17. Now sitting at the top of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference are one of the more unlikely Stanley Cup contenders – the Florida Panthers. At the beginning of the 2023-24 season, Florida was not among the top five favorites to win this year’s Stanley Cup.

In the most recent Stanley Cup odds, the Florida Panthers are No. 2 on the betting board right behind the favorite Edmonton. The Florida Panthers are given +600 odds to win the Cup. The Oilers are a +550 favorite. Carolina, Colorado, and last year’s defending champion Vegas are also in the mix.

Can the Florida Panthers Win the Stanley Cup?

The Florida Panthers have never won a Stanley Cup, but they continue to get closer to reaching that goal. Since the 2019-20 COVID season, the Florida Panthers have made the playoffs in four consecutive seasons. They have won the Atlantic Division once (2021-22) and played in last season’s Stanley Cup. The Panthers lost to Vegas in the Stanley Cup finals.

Just before Christmas, the Florida Panthers were 18-12-2 and not in first place in the Atlantic Division. Since Dec. 23, Florida is 27-6-2 overall and leads the President’s Cup race with 94 points. The Florida Panthers are No. 1 in terms of goal differential (+61) thanks, in large part, to a league-leading 2.37 goals against average. 

Goaltenders Sergei Bobrovsky and Anthony Stolarz are No. 1 and 2 in the NHL in goals against average. Stolarz actually leads the NHL (2.02) and Bobrovsky is second (2.32). Stolarz also leads the NHL in save percentage (.925) while Bobrovsky is fifth (.918). Bobrovsky is third in wins this season with 32. Stolarz is 13-5-2 in 21 games. That’s the type of goaltending that wins Stanley Cups.

Sas Insider Wins on Florida Panthers 

Sas Insider was our top handicapper yesterday and one of its winning bets was on the Florida Panthers game against the Carolina Hurricanes. Sas Insider racked up another huge day making 72 total picks! One of its 40 winners was on the Carolina Hurricanes-Florida Panthers game total. The Hurricanes beat the Panthers 4-0 and the total went Under 6. In total, Sas Insider went 4-1 on NHL picks. 

Knup Sports, which also made our Top 5 yesterday, had a strong day with NHL picks. The guys at Knup went 7-3 on hockey picks. They lost on the Florida Panthers on the puck line. 

Let’s recap how our handicappers did yesterday.

• It was an inside job: The Sas Insider didn’t make any second half bets among its 72 predictions yesterday, but they did add $540 to the bankroll. The Insider is now $1961 over the last seven days. Using its vast network of industry contacts, Sas Insider has made 400 picks over the last seven days. They have won 221 (55.25%).

• Follow up: The Bookie followed up yesterday’s 3-1 performance with a perfect 5-0 day. The Bookie earned $500, all on college basketball picks. Stacking quality performances has given The Bookie a 10-4 record over the last three days.
• Tied for third: Sports Hub experts Evan Lewis and Al Grant each went 3-0 yesterday and took home $300. Al has been pretty consistent over the last week and month. He’s 14-5 over the last seven days and has $840 in profits. For the month, Al is No. 3 on the 30-day leaderboard with $1741 in winnings.
• Things are looking Knup: One would have thought putting in 26 picks in one day was a lot. It’s not near the 72 of Sas Insider, but the boys at Knup Sports hit 16 of those picks and added another $250 to the bankroll. That gives our partners a seven-day total of 85-64 and $1123!

More Conference Tournaments on Today’s Schedule

Yes, it’s Madness time! There are dozens of conference tournament games all throughout today. That means plenty of betting opportunities. The NBA and NHL are still on tonight and don’t forget about the PLAYERS Championship, which got underway yesterday. 

Here’s what you can bet on today.

1. Conference tournament semifinals: The ACC, Big 12, Big East and Pac 12 will all have tournament semifinals today. Championship games in each conference are set for Saturday. The NCAA tournament field will be announced on Selection Sunday.

2. Friday Night NBA: There are six games on the NBA schedule tonight. NBATV will broadcast a doubleheader starting with Phoenix at Charlotte at 7 p.m. ET. Atlanta plays at Utah in the late game. Tip-off is set for 9:30 p.m. ET.
3. Florida Panthers are off: While the Florida Panthers do not play tonight, they will be on the ice tomorrow against in-state rival Tampa Bay. The Lightning are currently fourth in the Atlantic Division with a 35-25-6 record. 
4. Top tier soccer today: There is one match in each of the following top tier professional soccer leagues – La Liga, Bundesliga, Ligue 1, and Serie A.
5. PLAYERS Championship: Round 2 of The PLAYERS Championship is underway today. Rory McIlroy was one of three golfers that shot an opening round 65 to take the early lead.
6. BNP Paribas Open: The men are off today while the women will compete in the semifinals. No. 1 Iga Swiatek and No. 3 Coco Gauff remain.
7. MLB Spring Training games: In Florida and Arizona, it’s another day full of MLB spring training action. Sas Insider had picks for 11 MLB games yesterday. Just because it’s exhibition season doesn’t mean you can’t bet on baseball!

Conference Tournaments Full of Upsets

There is March Madness before the March Madness. Yesterday, four of the AP Top 25 teams in the country were upset in their conference tournament. It’s that time of year and there is surely more to come. 

The Florida Panthers, despite a loss last night, remain in first place in the Atlantic Division in the NHL. Another college basketball coach bites the dust and the Chicago Bears picked up a new wide receiver.

• Conference tournament upsets: No. 8 Creighton and No. 11 Duke were the highest-ranked teams to lose last night in their conference tournaments. No. 23 Nevada lost to Colorado State in the Mountain West tournament and No. 24 Dayton was upset by Duquesne in the Atlantic-10.
• Florida Panthers take over division lead: The Panthers were shutout last night 4-0 by Carolina, but it was only their eighth loss since Dec. 23. With a 45-18-4 record, the Florida Panthers lead the Atlantic Division and all of the NHL.

• Stanford fires Haase: Jerod Haase is out after eight seasons at Stanford. The Cardinal failed to reach the NCAA tournament in all eight seasons. Stanford finished above .500 in the Pac-12 just once in Haase’s tenure.
• Bears sign Allen: Former Chargers WR Keenan Allen was traded to the Chicago Bears for a fourth-round draft pick. Allen was set to earn a $5 million roster bonus on Sunday from the Chargers. He declined to take a pay cut and the Bears took the six-time Pro Bowler off the Chargers’ hands.

Always stay up to date on the latest trending sports news. You never know when a small piece of what you think is irrelevant information turns out to be the key in winning a big bet. 

Don’t forget to consult with the experts here at Sports Hub before wagering on today’s games. We’ve got a huge weekend ahead of us. Selection Sunday will be here before you know it!