The BB&T Center will be the site for an Eastern Conference showdown as the Florida Panthers welcome the visiting Carolina Hurricanes. It’s the third and final time that these two clubs will go at it in the regular season. The matchup gets underway at 7:30 p.m. ET on Monday, April 2, and you’ll be able to catch the game live on TVA Sports.
Carolina Hurricanes at Florida Panthers Odds
With a -175 moneyline, Florida enters the matchup as the obvious favorite. The line for Carolina sits at +155 and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at 6 goals (-105 for the over, -115 for the under).
Florida is 39-38 straight up (SU) and has recorded -1.3 units for moneyline bettors this year. That early-season winning percentage is a welcome improvement compared to what the team did during the 2016-17 season (35-47). Through 77 regular season outings, 38 of the team’s games have gone over the total, while 37 have gone under and just two have pushed. The team’s 23-14 SU at home this season.
The Panthers have converted on 18.9 percent of their power play opportunities this season, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, their penalty kill is ranked 14th overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 80.8 percent of all penalties.
The Panthers, as a collective unit, have been called for penalties 4.2 times per game overall this season, and 2.4 per game over their past five games. The team’s had to kill penalties for just 6.0 minutes per game over their last five matchups, overall.
With a .911 save percentage and 28.1 saves per game, James Reimer (20-22-6) has been the best goalkeeper for Florida this season. If head coach Bob Boughner decides to give him the night off, however, the team may turn to Roberto Luongo (15-16-16 record, .926 save percentage, 2.56 goals against average).
The Panthers will continue looking for offensive production out of Aleksander Barkov and Vincent Trocheck. Barkov (75 points) has tallied 26 goals and 49 assists and has recorded two or more points 21 times this year. Trocheck has 30 goals and 41 assists to his name and has notched at least one point in 49 contests.
Over on the other bench, Carolina is 35-44 straight up (SU) and has lost 15.2 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 79 regular season matches, 41 of its games have gone under the total, while 36 have gone over and just two have pushed. As the visiting team, the Hurricanes are 17-22 SU.
The Hurricanes have converted on 18.6 percent of their power play chances this year, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 24th overall and it’s successfully defended 77.7 percent of all opponent power plays.
Carolina’s players have been whistled for penalties only 2.7 times per game in total this season, 2.2 per game over their past five outings total, and 3.0 per game over their last five road outings. The team’s been forced to kill penalties just 5.2 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Cam Ward (2.75 goals against average and .905 save percentage) has been the primary option in goal for Carolina. Ward is averaging 24.8 saves per game and has 22 wins, 20 losses, and four OT losses to his credit.
Sebastian Aho (28 goals, 36 assists) and Teuvo Teravainen (23 goals, 39 assists) are the top offensive options for Carolina and will lead the attack for the visiting Hurricanes.
Carolina Hurricanes at Florida Panthers Free Picks
Prediction: SU Winner – Panthers, O/U – Under
Betting Notes
- Carolina is 3-3 in games decided by a shootout this season while Florida is 3-3 in shootouts.
- The under has hit in three of Carolina’s last five outings.
- Two teams that shoot the puck early and often, Carolina has taken the league’s fourth-most shots on goal (34.0) and Florida has attempted the second-most (34.6).
- Florida has averaged 3.0 goals per game overall this year, but has been averaging 2.0 goals per contest over its three-game losing streak.
- Over Florida’s last ten outings, eight of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 5-3 in those games).
