With their backs up against the wall in do-or-die fashion, the Carolina Hurricanes will look to keep their season alive as they face off with the Florida Panthers at FLA Live Arena. Join us for our NHL odds series where our Hurricanes-Panthers prediction and pick will be revealed.
After suffering back-to-back gut punches on their home ice in games one and two in overtime, the Hurricanes once again fell on the wrong side of the scoreboard in a low-scoring 1-0 affair. While it is quite obvious that Carolina needs to put things into high gear, they will need to figure out a way to score the puck at a frequent pace. No team in the history of the NHL has come back from an 0-3 deficit… can the Hurricanes become the first?
The Florida Panthers are one win away from returning to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1996. Shockingly enough, it took this franchise more than 25 years before they finally were able to win a playoff series. However, all of the momentum is on Florida's side entering Game 4.
Here are the Hurricanes-Panthers NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NHL Playoffs Odds: Hurricanes-Panthers Game 4 Odds
Carolina Hurricanes: +1.5 (-280)
Florida Panthers: -1.5 (+225)
Over: 5.5 (+102)
Under: 5.5 (-124)
How To Watch Hurricanes vs. Panthers
TV: TNT
Stream: TNT App
Time: 8:00 ET/5:00 PT
*Watch NHL games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Hurricanes Could Cover The Spread
Over the course of the first three games of these conference finals, the Hurricanes have struggled mightily in regards to sustaining consistent offense. Believe it or not, Carolina averaged a solid 3.20 goals per game during the regular season but have only generated a total of three goals in the trio of devastating losses that they have suffered. Simply put, Carolina needs to come out in Game 4 with a brand of aggressiveness that we have yet to seen from them up to this point. Alas, the ‘Canes must win a majority of loose pucks and also fire a decent amount of shots on goal to keep the outstanding Sergei Bobrovsky on his toes. This was actually a plan that was well executed in Game 3 as the Hurricanes edged out the Panthers 32-17 in the shots on goal department, but it was Bobrovsky that had the last laugh.
If Bobrovsky does continue to march at his historic pace, then finding ways to put Florida in the penalty box and capitalizing on the extra-man attack will be critical. Throughout the opening three games, Carolina is only 2-11 on converting their power plays. Without a doubt, Carolina is a well-run team with plenty of talent, but they will end up getting swept if they can't get their power-play attack going.
Why The Panthers Could Cover The Spread
In what has been one of the more impressive playoff runs of this entire postseason, the Florida Panthers have been the team of destiny up to this point. Ever since they were down 3-1 to a historically stellar Boston Bruins squad in the opening round, they have reeled off 10 wins in their last 11 games overall with their lone loss coming to Toronto by a score of 2-1.
Five wins stand in the way of then Florida Panthers hoisting Lord Stanley's Cup, and the most important thing they need to do is to take it one game at a time. Oftentimes, getting the fourth and final win of a series is the hardest, and the Panthers will definitely have their hands full in Game 4 versus the Hurricanes. However, if Florida is going to find a way to cover the spread and ultimately cover the spread in doing so, timely goals will once again need to be made. Overall, the Panthers haven't been that much better than the Hurricanes have been offensively, but their knack for the clutch has been more than impressive.
If there does happen to be any bad news on the side of the Panthers, Aleksander Barkov went down for the count with a lower-body injury late in Game 3. While he is currently listed as Day-to-Day, Barkov is expected to suit up for play. However, if he isn't 100% healthy, then Florida may need to rely on Matthew Tkachuk even more than normal. Fortunately, Tkachuk has proved that he is hands down the most clutch skater on this roster and he could end up playing a big role in Game 4.
Final Hurricanes-Panthers Prediction & Pick
The sense of urgency for Carolina will be at an all-time high, but it is hard to imagine that the Panthers will be slowing down any time soon. The Panthers march on to their first Stanley Cup appearance in over 25 years!
Final Hurricanes-Panthers Prediction & Pick: Panthers -1.5 (+225)
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