The Florida Panthers are inevitable.
The NHL Eastern Conference Final teeters on the brink of a four-game sweep as the Ice Cats once again host the Carolina Hurricanes for Game 4 tonight. These two teams clearly don’t reside in the same stratosphere, with Florida outscoring their opponents 16-4 across the first three games of this series. It’s typically best to root for a competitive affair, but perhaps tonight will bring a merciful end to this blowout affair.
Here’s a Panthers vs. Hurricanes Game 4 prediction and pick on DraftKings Sportsbook the Monday night action.
Panthers vs. Hurricanes Game 4 prediction, pick
The Panthers come in as a very strong -175 favorite on the Moneyline for Game 4, an understandable line given their utter dominance over the last few outings. The Hurricanes hold +145 odds to upset the Ice Cats with a game total of 5.5 combined goals.
Look, the Canes had a great season despite their short-lived Mikko Rantanen era. They even won a couple of playoff series in the first two rounds, so the year can be called a success. However, all good things must come to an end.
The Panthers look like world-beaters. They’ve scored five or more goals in all three games of this series. Their stars are scoring, but even their third and fourth-liners are getting in on the action with points of their own. Their goalie, Sergei Bobrovsky, has recaptured the magic of last year’s Stanley Cup run. Brad Marchand is taking ice cream breaks during intermissions. Most of all, they grind opponents into dust with a physical style of playoff hockey.
These Ice Cats are for real; these Hurricanes are not. The difference in talent between these teams remains Grand Canyon-esque, and there’s genuinely very little to say about this series aside from this — Florida sits one game away from reaching the Stanley Cup Final and have the makings of back-to-back champions.
The good news for Carolina is that they have multiple future first-rounders thanks to the trade which sent Rantanen to Dallas, so they have assets to continue building with. However, they’re doomed to fall in the Eastern Conference Final for the second time in three years. Watch for the Panthers to end the Hurricanes’ season in regulation tonight and celebrate with another tasty frozen treat.
Best bet: FLA Panthers 60 Min Line (-115)
