The Florida Panthers'and Carolina Hurricanes'meet in Game 1 of a best-of-7 Eastern Conference Finals series Thursday. Puck drop from PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C., is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET (TNT). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Panthers vs. Hurricanes odds, and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
The Hurricanes won 2 of the 3 regular-season meetings against the Panthers, including a 6-4 victory in the season finale on April 13 as the Over (6) cashed. Carolina also won the only meeting in Raleigh on Dec. 30 by a 4-0 score, while Florida won the first battle in Sunrise on Nov. 9 by a 3-0 count.
Florida upended the President’s Trophy-winning Boston Bruins in the first round by 7 games and ousted the Toronto Maple Leafs in 5 games in the second round. The Panthers are 8-4 as underdogs in 12 postseason games and have cashed the Under in the past 5 outings.
Carolina is 4-1 as a favorite in 5 games in the playoffs, while winning 5 of the past 6 contests overall. The Over is 4-1 in the past 5 outings, and 7-2-1 in the past 10 games.