Ducks Squeak Past Panthers 3-2, DarkHorse Cashes the Underdog Cushion

The Ducks did exactly what we needed them to do: hang around, stay scrappy, and make Florida earn every inch of ice. Anaheim edged the Panthers 3-2 at home, and our Ducks +1.5 sailed home with room to spare. This was never going to be a blowout — Florida's missing Barkov and Marchand, their offense is sputtering at two goals per game, and Markstrom's perfect save percentage was fool's gold from a one-game sample. Sure enough, the Panthers managed just two tallies and couldn't pull away.

Dostal did his job in the Anaheim crease, giving his team a chance despite playing on zero rest. The back-to-back fatigue was real, but the puck line absorbed it beautifully. Florida came in as a -135 road favorite and looked every bit the depleted squad we projected — no separation, no killer instinct, just a tired road team grinding against a motivated home underdog. The Ducks found a way to win outright, but even if they'd lost by one, we'd still be counting our winnings.

This is why you take the cushion when the favorite's profile is this soft. Florida didn't have the firepower to cover -1.5, and we banked on it. Hit. Next.