NHL Odds, Preview, Prediction: Panthers vs Hurricanes (Thursday, February 22)
(Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images) Pictured: Sergei Bobrovsky
Panthers vs. Hurricanes Odds
| Panthers Odds | -105 |
| Hurricanes Odds | -115 |
| Over / Under | 6 -122 / +102 |
Here's everything you need to know about the Florida Panthers vs. Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday, February – our expert NHL prediction and pick.
Florida and Carolina are two of the best teams in the league and both are red hot, so we should be in for a great game. Let's preview the upcoming contest and offer a Panthers vs. Hurricanes prediction.
Sergei Bobrovsky has led the Panthers' recent success, winning his past seven starts while saving 202 of 214 shots (.944 save percentage). That's an especially good run for him, but he's been effective all season with a 28-10-2 record, a 2.39 GAA and a .915 save percentage in 41 starts, including a 5-2 win over Carolina on Nov. 10 in which he saved 28-of-30 shots.
The 35-year-old provides the Panthers with a fantastic foundation, but their strength goes far beyond strong goaltending. Florida is also in a three-way tie for 10th offensively with 3.34 goals per game.
Matthew Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov are the headline forwards and have largely lived up to their reputations, providing 65 and 54 points, respectively, but they've been overshadowed by another Panthers scorer. Sam Reinhart is having a career season with 39 goals and 67 points in 56 outings. On top of that, Carter Verhaeghe has supplied 30 tallies and 50 points in 56 games, giving Florida a fourth elite scoring threat.
To provide some context, Florida is the only team with two scorers who have reached the 30-goal mark.
If anything, the Panthers' situation is even better than it looks. Florida's 3.85 xGF/60 is the highest in the league, suggesting that the Panthers have actually had subpar puck luck.
Hurricanes fans, sports betting is coming to North Carolina! Stay up to date on the North Carolina sports betting apps that are expected to go live at launch!
Based on the analytics, this match will feature the best offensive team versus the top defensive squad as Carolina leads the NHL with an xGA/60 of 2.66. However, a strong defense isn't the same as having good goaltending. The Hurricanes allow just 25.1 shots per game, the lowest in the league, but their goaltenders have a dreadful .893 save percentage.
Fortunately for the Hurricanes, they're still tied for ninth with 2.82 goals allowed per game, so while poor netminding has been an issue, it hasn't sunk their season. The other reason Carolina still has an impressive 33-17-5 record is because, like Florida, it is strong offensively.
In contrast to the Panthers, Carolina doesn't have a player with more than 20 goals, but nine of its skaters have reached double-digits in the goal column (Florida has six). That depth has led to the Hurricanes being eighth with an average of 3.38 goals per game and also ranking eighth in xGF/60 with 3.38 despite not having a single goal scorer in the top 40.
For as good as the Hurricanes look when you view their season as a whole, it gets even better if you just look at their 16-4-1 stretch dating back to Dec. 27. Carolina's offense has done even better since then, averaging 3.62 goals per game, and it's been extremely hard to score on them as they're allowing a mere 2.24 goals per contest.
If the Hurricanes were up against almost any other team, that would be a huge factor in their favor, but Florida has somehow managed to be slightly more effective over the same stretch, boasting an 18-3-2 record.
(Panthers and Hurricanes bettors: Check out the latest developments on the launch of North Carolina sports betting online!)
Panthers vs. Hurricanes
Betting Pick & Prediction
There isn't much separating these squads, but the game being in Carolina might be a factor. The Panthers are an impressive 20-7-2 on the road, but the Hurricanes tend to perform better at home — 18-6-4 compared to 15-11-1 on the road. Still, picking either team to win feels like a roll of the dice. Instead, I recommend betting Under 6.5 goals.
Even if Anthony Stolarz gets the nod over Bobrovsky, I'd stick with the under. Stolarz is 9-5-2 with a 1.97 GAA and a .926 save percentage across 17 appearances this season and is coming off a 45-save shutout last Thursday over the Sabres.
Pick: Under 6.5 Goals (-130 at FanDuel) | Play to -140
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