Panthers vs Hurricanes Odds: NHL Preview, Prediction
Eliot J. Schechter/NHLI via Getty Images. Pictured: Sergei Bobrovsky
- The Hurricanes are favored over the Panthers in tonight's game, which starts at 7 p.m. ET.
- Tony Sartori looked over the NHL odds and made a Hurricanes vs. Panthers pick. Read below for his prediction.
Panthers vs. Hurricanes Odds
| Panthers Odds | +105 |
| Hurricanes Odds | -126 |
| Over / Under | 5.5 -120/ +100 |
Here's everything you need to know about the Florida Panthers vs Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday, March 14 – our expert NHL prediction and pick.
Florida has dominated this matchup since last year's playoffs, winning five of the past six meetings. With the Panthers entering this matchup in tremendous form, let's dive into why I anticipate yet another win Thursday evening.
Let's dig into the NHL odds and make a Panthers vs. Hurricanes prediction.
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Florida enters this contest in tremendous form and has won 18 of its past 21 games. The Panthers are the hottest team in hockey and I will continue to ride their momentum, especially at plus-money.
One of the biggest reasons for the recent success is the play of goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, who is slated to guard the cage for Florida on Thursday. Through 47 starts this season, Bobrovsky is 32-12-2 with a .918 SV% and a 2.30 GAA.
He has allowed two or fewer goals in 12 of his past 13 starts and is 11-2 with a commanding .942 SV% and a 1.68 GAA over that stretch. That success is likely to continue against Carolina, a team Bobrovsky has utterly dominated recently.
Over his past eight starts against the Canes, Bobrovsky is 7-1 with a .950 SV% and a 1.49 GAA. It certainly helps his cause that he plays behind one of the best two-way teams in hockey as the Panthers rank fourth in expected goal differential per 60 minutes at 5-on-5.
One could argue that Carolina is every bit as good as Florida, and I believe that to be true as well. However, there are a couple of reasons to fade the Hurricanes in this spot.
First, they are not in nearly as dominant of form as the Panthers. While Florida is 18-3 over its past 21 games, Carolina is 14-7 over the same stretch.
Second, I don't trust the Canes' goaltending situation as much. Frederik Andersen is projected to start between the pipes for just the ninth time this season after returning from injury, and while he has performed solidly, he still ranks lower than Bobrovsky in SV% and GAA while the latter has performed spectacularly in a much larger sample size.
Additionally, Andersen is just 2-4-1 over his past nine appearances against the Panthers with a .888 SV% and a 3.10 GAA.
Panthers vs. Hurricanes
Betting Pick & Prediction
We've dove into the goaltending imbalance for this game, but how do these teams stack up offensively and defensively? Well, offensively, Florida ranks higher than Carolina in goals scored per game, shots on goal per game and power play percentage.
Defensively, it also ranks higher in goals allowed per game. Both teams prevent high-danger scoring chances at an elite level, each ranking in the top three of the league in expected goals against per 60 minutes (xGA/60) at 5-on-5.
These two teams are also neck-and-neck at producing high-danger scoring chances, each ranking in the top seven in expected goals for per 60 minutes (xGF/60) at 5-on-5. Florida and Carolina are pretty much in that same elite category in terms of where each team stands in the league, but at plus-money, give me the team in better form with the stronger goaltender.
Pick: Panthers Moneyline (+105 at bet365) | Play to -105
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