BEST LINES: Pinnacle -1½ +226 Bet365 -1½ +225 SportsInteraction -1½ +220 5DIMES -1½ +222

Posted at 12:45 PM EST.

7:35 PM EST. OT included. We don’t play favorites in the NHL straight up because the alternate option is so much better. We also pay attention to the line. In that regard, Florida opened up as a small favorite here (between -109 and -115) but has been bet up to its current price at the time of this writing to -128. Having a somewhat good understanding of how the market perceives each team, that increase in the line is curious from our vantage point.

You see, Anaheim has pedigree and creditability. They have been a force for years and were projected to be a force again this year. Furthermore, the Ducks are coming off back-to-back, 6-2 victories over the Habs and Flyers with the last victory coinciding with the return of Captain Ryan Getzlaf. They also have John Gibson in goal while the Panthers are forced to use backup James Reimer. That’s the Ducks story.

The Panthers story is different. They have very little market credibility and less pedigree. Florida has also lost four of its last five games. Aside from that, nobody follows this team. Their NHL paraphernalia has the lowest sales among the 31 NHL teams. So, to recap, in its favor, Anaheim has current form, pedigree, popularity, star power, and goaltending while the Panthers have nothing working in their favor. We have a hard time believing that the market is pounding the Panthers here, as the line increase would suggest. Instead, we see something far more sinister happening. We sense a big time enticement by the oddsmakers to get behind the Ducks here because we can assure you that it is not the general public that is moving this number. Sometimes the line dictates the play and this is a classic example of that. The Ducks plus a price appears to be far too appetizing.

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