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It is game one of the Eastern Conference Finals as the Florida Panthers visit the Carolina Hurricanes. It is time to continue our NHL odds series with a game one Panthers-Hurricanes prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.
The Panthers and Hurricanes face off in game one in the Eastern Conference Finals. Since the current playoff format took hold in 2014, only two wild card teams have ever made it to this point. The first was in 2017, as the Nashville Predators won their Western Conference Finals before losing in the Stanley Cup Finals. The other was in 2019, as the Carolina Hurricanes were swept in the conference finals. For the Hurricanes, it is their first trip back to the conference finals since. For the Panthers, they hope to do what Nashville did and make it to the Cup finals.
In the playoffs for the Panthers, it started with them down 3-1 to the best regular season team ever in the Boston Bruins. They made a switch in goal and won three straight games, including a thriller in game seven to advance and knock out the Bruins. They kept things rolling from there, getting up 3-0 in the series against Toronto and finishing them off in five games. The Panthers will look to go to their first Stanley Cup finals since the 1995-96 season, where they lost to the Avalanche in the finals.
Carolina has started each of the last two series hot. They have gotten up 2-0 at home against both the Islanders and Devils, before dropping game three. In the Islanders series, it took them six games before they prevailed. Against the Devils, it was just five games before they moved on. Now the Hurricanes will look to head back to the finals for the first time since they placed their name on Lord Stanely's Cup in the 2005-06 season.
Here are the Panthers-Hurricanes NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NHL Playoffs Odds: Panthers-Hurricanes Odds
Florida Panthers: +1.5 (-210)
Carolina Hurricanes: -1.5 (+172)
Over: 5.5 (-128)
Under: 5.5 (+104)
How To Watch Panthers vs. Hurricanes
TV: TNT
Stream: NHLPP / TNT App
Time: 8:00 PM ET/ 5:00 PM PT
*Watch NHL games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
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Why The Panthers Could Cover The Spread
Any chance for the Panthers has to start with goaltending. In game three of the first round, Sergei Bobrovsky was inserted into the game replacing Alex Lyon. In game four, Bobrovsky was pedestrian, letting five goals on 30 shots and taking the loss. Since then, he has been a difference-maker. He has won seven of the last eight games, with a save percentage above .915 in seven of those eight games as well. His only loss was a 23-save effort on 25 shots in which his team lost 2-1. His save percentage in the Toronto series was .938, and he has been great for the Panthers.
Secondly, there is Matthew Tkachuk. Tkachuk and the Panthers made Toronto fans eat their words in the second-round series, and now look to go after the Hurricanes. In the first series, Tkachuk had 11 points in seven games and continued his stellar play with five points in the Toronto series. He is currently fifth in the league in points in the playoffs with 16, and third in assists with 11. He has also been great on the defensive end, sitting third in the NHL in the playoffs in plus-minus.
Beyond the two studs, the Panthers are getting plenty of production from other guys. Blue liners Brandon Montour has had six goals in the playoffs so far. Sam Reinhart also has six goals. They have both been key players on the powerplay and will need to continue that production moving forward. Carter Vergaeghe has scored five times in the playoffs while sitting second on the team in points. The biggest key to a Panthers win will be keeping all their key players involved. If they can do that, they have a chance to win game one and make it to the finals.
Why The Hurricanes Could Cover The Spread
The Hurricanes not only have been scoring well, but they have also had some dominant defense. Led by Brent Burns and Jaccob Slavin, the Carolina defense has been holding opponents down all playoffs long. Burns and Slavin average just over one goal per 60 minutes of ice time when they are on together in non-power play situations. That would lead to less than a goal per game surrendered by them in the playoffs. Burns has eight points in the playoffs so far, including three power-play assists and a plus-minus rating of plus-eight. Slavin has six points, has been integral on the penalty kill, and has a plus-14 rating so far in the playoffs.
Beyond the defensive pairing, Sebastian Aho has put in five goals and five assists so far in 11 games. Jordan Martinook also has ten points in 11 games, with seven assists. The team has played wonderfully together, which is a big difference from disappointing years past. They have killed 90% of the opponent's power play opportunities while scoring 18.9% of theirs. Even more, they have scored four times while short-handed. To boost their chances in game one, Teuvo Teravainen is expected to be back at near full strength.
Goaltending is another factor for the Hurricanes. they have a 2.55 goals-against average, which ranks them second in the playoffs. Frederik Andersen has started six games so far in the playoffs, garnering five wins. He has a .931 save percentage in the playoffs so far, with a 1.80 goals-against average. That includes the game three debacles against the Devils, where he gave up four goals on just 12 shots in just over 20 minutes of gameplay. Outside of that game, Andersen has been nearly untouchable, and if he continues this pattern, the Hurricanes will be hard to stop.
Final Panthers-Hurricanes Prediction & Pick
Both teams have guys who can take over a game on the offensive end with Matthew Thachuk and Sebastian Aho. The difference in game one is goaltending and defense. Carolina has the better defensive pairing with Burns and Slavin. For as good as Bobrovsky has been, Andersen has been better. He dominated game one, and Carolina does what they have done in the last two series, win game one.
Final Panthers-Hurricanes Prediction & Pick: Hurricanes -1.5 (+172)
