The NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs continue as the Eastern Conference Final gets rolling on Tuesday night. This matchup feels like a bit of a strange one as the Florida Panthers were projected to be here, but the Carolina Hurricanes certainly were not heading into the postseason. It’s still a bit difficult for some to view the Canes as a real contender, but based on how they’ve played through the last two rounds, do they have a puncher’s chance to dethrone the reigning Stanley Cup champs?
Here’s an in-depth look at Panthers vs. Hurricanes, including a series prediction and top pick on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Panthers vs. Hurricanes series preview
Florida Panthers
The Ice Cats went down 2-0 to begin the second round against the Toronto Maple Leafs, but it didn’t matter in the end — these Panthers simply don’t die. The team rallied to win the series in seven games and look like the squad which won it all in 2024. With +240 odds to win the Stanley Cup on DraftKings Sportsbook, they’re now the betting favorite to take the championship.
The Panthers are scoring an average of 3.75 goals per contest this postseason with superb depth providing an advantage in every series they’ve played. Their points leaders over this playoff run come as unlikely names — Brad Marchand and Eetu Luostarinen with 12 apiece — though Matthew Tkachuk, Aleksander Barkov, and Sam Reinhart all lurk with double-digit points themselves. The top lines are far superior in star power than those of Carolina, but the Panthers’ depth remains a significant difference-maker for this matchup.
While Sergei Bobrovsky’s numbers don’t quite look like they did in last season’s Stanley Cup run, his .901 SV% and 2.31 GAA certainly aren’t figures to scoff at. Florida loves to control the tempo of games and their grind-it-out style on defense wears opponents out over the course of a contest. The Panthers play their own game and should feel plenty comfortable heading into this series.
Carolina Hurricanes
On the other side, the Canes sit last in Stanley Cup odds on DraftKings Sportsbook at +320 to win the whole thing. The team looked fantastic through the first two rounds, dispatching the New Jersey Devils and Washington Capitals in five games apiece. The playoffs have appeared too easy for Carolina thus far, but they haven’t faced an opponent like Florida yet.
These Hurricanes average 3.40 goals per contest through the playoff run while pressuring the goal at a high rate with 33.2 shots a game. They’re aggressive on the forecheck, so it’ll be fun to watch how Florida handles that aspect throughout the round. While they don’t deploy the same top-heavy lineups that the Panthers do, Seth Jarvis and Sebastian Aho each have 10 points in the postseason, while Andrei Svechnikov’s eight goals rank him second among all skaters in the playoff field.
As for defense, the Canes are locking opponents down so far by allowing just 1.80 goals per contest. Goaltender Frederik Andersen boasts a .937 SV% and miniscule 1.36 GAA, so when it comes to hot goalies, he’s the very definition of the term. Sure, New Jersey’s attack wasn’t great, but he performed admirably in the Washington series against a team that can pour on goals in a hurry. As long as Andersen remains in goal, the Hurricanes have a fighting chance.
Keys to the Series
Defense is the name of the game in this series between two franchises which hang their hats on the grittier side of the game. The Panthers are the more physical team, but the Hurricanes have suffocated opponents all postseason. The question here is whether Carolina can continue this level of dominance against a battle-tested team with more talent than either squad they’ve faced so far. It’s probably a bit too easy to just write the Canes off against this amount of star power, but it’s understandable that most analysts seem to pick Florida to win the series with both a top-heavier and deeper stable of skaters.
The special teams battle has the makings of a real showdown within the larger games. The Panthers were missing key members of the power play unit in Tkachuk and Aaron Ekblad through the final weeks of the regular season, so they didn’t truly get a chance to integrate Marchand into the greater unit. As a result, their special teams play was a bit shaky, and while they’ve had 12 playoff games to iron out lineups, Florida converted just 8-of-39 (20.5%) power play opportunities over the postseason to this point. Compare that to the Hurricanes’ 9-for-32 (28.1%) mark and there’s reason for a bit of concern.
To top that off, Carolina’s penalty kill looks impeccable having survived a numbers disadvantage 93.3% of the time. They’ve stopped 28-of-30 opponent power plays, allowing just two goals in that total sample. Florida might end up hard-pressed to score in their penalty minutes this series, meaning they’ll have to keep grinding things out in 5v5 play.
Panthers vs. Hurricanes series prediction, pick
With the Eastern Conference Final beginning on Tuesday night, the Hurricanes enter the home contest at -125 to win outright on the Moneyline with +205 odds to cover the -1.5 puck line. The Panthers hit the road as a +105 underdog, though they’re -250 to cover at +1.5. The game total sits at a very low 5.5 goals, though it’s an understandable line with these defensive-minded squads.
The Hurricanes hold home-ice advantage and have the hottest goalie in the playoff field, so what’s not to like? Well, it’s just difficult to believe in Carolina with their lack of top-end talent compared to Florida. The Panthers have so many guys who can kill an opponent in a playoff series, while the Hurricanes don’t have as many elite options to depend on. If one of their top three guys has a bad series, it’s over in a hurry, especially since they aren’t as deep on the third and fourth lines to make up for it.
The Canes’ run has been fun, but the road ends here.
