DiStefano's prediction: The Panthers will finish off the Hurricanes thanks to another productive game from their offense.
NHL
The Florida Panthers can finish off the Carolina Hurricanes tonight and end this one-sided Eastern Conference Final. My Hurricanes vs. Panthers predictions anticipate another productive game from their offense.
Find out why with my NHL picks ahead of this 8 p.m. ET puck drop on Monday, May 26 at Amerant Bank Arena.
We might just be in for another four-game sweep. The Florida Panthers are home favorites tonight and could hand the Carolina Hurricanes their 16th straight Eastern Conference Final loss.
The Panthers have been stout defensively, allowing just 14 high-danger shots this series while goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky sports a .946 SV% in all situations. The same can’t be said for Carolina, which has given up 16 goals in three games and has a penalty-kill rate of just 55%.
Florida has capitalized on its opportunities, with 12 goals from their scoring chances.
Prediction: The Panthers will close it out tonight and secure a third straight ticket to the Stanley Cup Final.
My Hurricanes vs Panthers pick: Panther team total Over 3.5 (+105 at Sports Interaction)
The Panthers have overwhelmed Carolina on both ends of the ice, outscoring them 16-4 in this series, scoring five or more in each of the first three games.
There’s no reason to believe the Panthers won’t be as dominant tonight, and with the books offering plus money on their team total Over of 3.5 goals, it’ll be the feature bet for me tonight.
Florida is generating 24.6 scoring chances per game, with 10 being of the high-danger variety. Through three games, the Cats have converted on 10 of those Grade-A chances, outscoring Carolina 10-1 in that metric, per Natural Stat Trick.
The Hurricanes’ goaltending has been abysmal throughout the series, with Frederik Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov combining for a .768 SV%, and an even worse .658 HDsv%.
So long as Florida continues to get its looks, it should keep converting at a high rate against these struggling netminders.
Additionally, the Florida power play has been lethal, operating at 44% through the series with four goals scored on nine opportunities. This is another avenue where the Cats could get the four goals we need to reach the Over.
Over 5.5
Panthers -1.5
Panthers to score first
For the first leg of our SGP, we’ll mirror our best bet by taking Over 5.5 goals. I expect the Cats to score 4+, so it shouldn’t be too much to ask to see a total of six or more. The Over is 2-1 through the first three games of the series.
I’ll continue to back the Panthers tonight and take them to win the game on the puck line, which is 3-0 so far in the series. Carolina looked defeated in Game 3, and I’m not convinced we’ll see a much better effort tonight either.
For the final leg of my SGP, I’ll take the Panthers to score the first goal. This prop is 11-4 for Florida this postseason and should hit with the expected offensive onslaught I’m anticipating. Moreover, Carolina has scored the opening goal just five times in 13 games.
Check out our Hurricanes vs. Panthers anytime goalscorer picks for more analysis ahead of tonight’s game.
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Odds courtesy of Sports Interaction
The Panthers are 7-3 on the moneyline in the last 10 meetings between these two teams. Find more NHL betting trends for Hurricanes vs. Panthers.
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
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Mike DiStefano joins Covers after a successful five-year stint with TSN. Distefano hosted Leafs Lunch, a Toronto Maple Leafs-centric radio show which featured a daily best bets segment where he found the biggest and best value plays of the night. He was also a weekly staple on TSN’s flagship radio/tv show “OverDrive” as a betting analyst during their NFL picks segment #TeamAl-DogForever.
A graduate of Centennial College’s Sports Journalism program, Mike has also contributed to the Canadian Baseball Network, FanSided, and The Hockey News.
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