Utah vs Florida Odds, Picks & Predictions (Friday, Mar. 28)

• Veteran Brad Marchand is expected to make his debut for the Florida Panthers (43-25-3) when it hosts the Utah Hockey Club (32-29-11) Friday night at Amerant Bank Arena.

• Utah is coming off its worst loss of the season and the Panthers are 1.5-goal favorites.

• I have plenty of insights on Friday night hockey, including my picks and prediction, along with a look at how Marchand fits into the Panthers offense.

The well-rested Florida Panthers (43-25-3; 31-40 ATS) host the Utah Hockey Club (32-29-11) Friday night, looking to make a final push in the regular season in the Atlantic Division.

The Panthers are tied with Tampa Bay for second place in the division, both teams one point behind Toronto.

Florida should get a boost from Bruins legend Brad Marchand, who was traded away by Boston earlier this month, but has yet to suit up for the Panthers while dealing with an ‘upper-body’ injury.

I have the full breakdown on this one, including a pick, prediction and look at best odds.

Brad Marchand Prop Picks/Bets

Marchand will look different in a Panthers sweater after suiting up for Boston for the last 16 years. He was the anchor of the Bruins Cup teams and played 1,090 games with the Bruins.

Marchand +210 any time goal scorer (at FanDuel)

Marchand has been working on the Panthers’ second line, basically filling in for Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk, who is out until the post-season. He had 21 goals this season with Boston. It would be a nice story if he gets his first goal with Florida in his first game, but he has been on the shelf for almost a month.

Marchand -128 1+ points (at FanDuel)

Now I like this bet a lot better. Marchand is known for his physical play in the defensive end. Florida has some guys who can score in Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart. I think the best bet here is an assist and a point for Marchand tonight.

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Utah vs Florida Prediction

Not only was the 8-0 loss to Tampa Bay Thursday night the worst loss in Utah franchise history (remember, they’re the revived Coyotes), it was the worst loss by any team in the NHL this season.

And now they have to play Florida on the road in a back-to-back, while Florida hasn’t played since Sunday.

Utah is 10 points out of the last playoff spot in the West. They’ve been better than people expected, but it ain’t happening this year. Meanwhile, Florida is fighting for a division title. All the vibes point to a comfortable Panthers win tonight.

Utah vs Florida Pick

• Florida -1.5 goals at FanDuel

• Over 5.5 goals at FanDuel

Florida has 10 games left on the schedule after this one. They handled Utah 4-1 in their first meeting back in January. Barkov has 19 goals, while Reinhart has 35 for the Panthers.

Big Game Bob, Sergei Bobrovsky is 30-15-1 this season in net for Florida and won his last two starts.

Utah has been outscored 13-1 in their last two games. Clayton Keller has 24 goals and 78 points for Utah and is their best offensive threat, but goalie Karel Vejmelka gave up four goals on 11 shots last night against Tampa and was lifted in the second period.

I dig the over. Three of the Panthers’ last four games have gone over while four of Utah’s last five games have hit the over.

Utah vs Florida Odds

Odds as of Friday at 10 a.m. at FanDuel. Get your March Madness on with our FanDuel bonus code.

I see Florida is a 1.5-goal favorite at every big sportsbook. The total is 5.5 just about everywhere. I saw it was six at Bet365.

The Panthers are 3-4 in their last seven games against the number, while Utah is 2-3 against the spread in its last five.

The best moneyline bet on Utah is +200 at BetMGM, and for Florida, it’s -225 at FanDuel.