Florida Panthers vs Carolina Hurricanes Prediction, Preview and Odds - 05/18/2023

Game Time: 8:00 pm ET, Thursday, May 18, 2023

Venue:  PNC Arena, Raleigh, NC

Where to Watch:  TNT

DraftKings:  Moneyline:  Panthers +115, Hurricanes -135; Over/Under:  5.5 goals

Bet365:  Moneyline:  Panthers +120, Hurricanes -140; Over/Under:  5.5 goals

BetMGM:  Moneyline:  Panthers +120, Hurricanes -145; Over/Under:  6 goals

Florida Panthers:  42-32-8 (4th place, Atlantic Division)

Carolina Hurricanes:  52-21-9 (1st place, Metropolitan Division)

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Florida Panthers:  7-3-0 last 10

Carolina Hurricanes:  7-3-0 last 10

The Panthers are entering this game finishing the regular season with 92 points, a 42-32-8 record overall, and they were 19-19-3 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off of a win against the Toronto Maple Leafs in their last game, winning that one on the road 3-2 in overtime. Aaron Ekblad, Carter Verhaeghe, and Nick Cousins each scored 1 goal in that game. Aaron Ekblad, Carter Verhaeghe, Anthony Duclair, Gustav Forsling, and Radko Gudas each led the team in assists with 1 while Brandon Montour led the team in shots on net in that game with 9. Sergei Bobrovsky was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 2 goals on 52 shots with 50 saves and a .962 sv percentage. Their offense has scored 266 goals this season averaging 3.2 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 213 goals against them allowing 2.6 goals per game.

The Hurricanes are entering this game finishing the regular season with 113 points, a 52-21-9 record overall, and they were 28-10-3 in their home games this regular season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game on a 2 game winning streak with both wins coming against the New Jersey Devils in their last 2 games, winning that last one at home 3-2 in OT. Brent Burns, Jesper Fast, and Jaccob Slavin each scored 1 goal in that game. Shayne Gostisbehere, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, and Jordan Martinook each led the team in assists with 1 while Brent Burns led the team in shots on net in that game with 6. Frederik Andersen was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 2 goals on 29 shots with 27 saves and a .931 sv percentage. Their offense has scored 266 goals this season averaging 3.2 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 213 goals against them allowing 2.6 goals per game.

The current betting odds have the Hurricanes listed as a favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. This is game 1 of a 7-game series between the Panthers and the Hurricanes for the Eastern Conference finals of the NHL playoffs. The Hurricanes are entering this game after a 4-1 series win over the Devils while the Panthers are entering this game off of a 4-1 series win over the Leafs. The Panthers have been really hot lately as they have only lost 1 game in their last 8, winning 3 straight to eliminate the Boston Bruins after being down 3-1 in the series and then ending their series with the Leafs in 5 games. They have played very physical games in both series though and they have also gone to overtime in their last few games as they have been playing a lot more hockey in those. The Hurricanes are a lot more rested than the Panthers are and they have not been involved in as many physical games like the Panthers have. The Hurricanes have also been a really good home team in the playoffs over the last 2 years and it is very rare that a team can actually steal a win from them in this building. The Panthers have come a long way but they were outplayed in every game of their last series against the Leafs and are very fortunate to have made it out of that series so easily. That will not be the case against a much stronger Hurricanes team as the physicality of the Panthers games will start to wear them down as the Hurricanes take full advantage on their home ice with their speed. The best way to place a bet here is on the Hurricanes to win this game and take a 1-0 series lead.

Panthers Hurricanes Prediction:  Our NHL Pick for Thursday, May 18, 2023 (8:00 pm ET start time) is Hurricanes 4 Panthers 1.

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Florida Panthers: 19-24 (-10.1 units) on the moneyline revenging a loss versus opponent. 22-27 (-13.8 units) on the moneyline off a win or tie in their previous game. 22-13 UNDER revenging a home loss versus opponent. 6-3 UNDER in the 1st game of a playoff series.

Carolina Hurricanes: 41-17 (+11.5 units) on the moneyline off a win or tie in their previous game. 21-5 (+12.4 units) on the moneyline after a close win by 1 goal in their previous game. 28-18 UNDER after playing a home game. 10-4 UNDER off a close home win by 1 goal.

Florida Panthers:  R. Lomberg (LW) Late May - Upper Body. S. Knight (G) Out indefinitely - Personal. P. Hornqvist (RW) out for season - Concussion.

Carolina Hurricanes:  O. Kase (RW) Late May - Concussion. T. Teravainen (LW) Late May - Hand. A. Svechnikov (RW) out for season - Knee. M. Pacioretty (LW) out for season - Achilles. J. Gardiner (D) Out indefinitely - Hip.

“It’s one of those moments where you’ll grow up and tell your kids about (it). My daughter’s only 11 months old. I have something I get to tell her when she grows up.” - Nick Cousins after their win against the Leafs in their game on Friday which ended the series 4-1, game 5 of that series.

“We're stacking memories here, and they're giving them to me, too. So it's pretty special.” - Rod Brind’Amour after his team’s win against the Devils in their game on Thursday which ended the series 4-1, game 5 of that series.

LW Verhaeghe, Carter

C Barkov, Aleksander

RW Duclair, Anthony

LD Forsling, Gustav

RD Ekblad, Aaron

G Bobrovsky, Sergei

LW Noesen, Stefan

C Aho, Sebastian

RW Jarvis, Seth

LD Slavin, Jaccob

RD Burns, Brent

G Andersen, Frederik

Points: M. Tkachuk (109)

Goals: C. Verhaeghe (42)

Assists: M. Tkachuk (69)

GAA: A. Lyon (2.89)

Points: M. Necas (71)

Goals: S. Aho (36)

Assists: M. Necas (43)

GAA: A. Raanta (2.23)

Coaches:

Florida Panthers: Paul Maurice (1st season)

Carolina Hurricanes: Rod Brind'Amour (5th season)