- What: Florida Panthers vs Carolina Hurricanes
- When: Thursday, March 14th
- Where: PNC Arena, Raleigh, North Carolina
Two of the best teams in the Eastern Conference will battle it out on Thursday evening as the high-flying Florida Panthers visit the Carolina Hurricanes. The puck is scheduled to drop at 7 PM ET at PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina. Florida is enjoying a two-game winning streak and just took down the Dallas Stars 4-3 on Tuesday evening. They sit at the top of the East right now, nearing 100 points. Carolina meanwhile just lost a tough one to the NY Rangers that same night by a score of 1-0. This should be a very entertaining matchup between a pair of legitimate contenders. Keep reading for the Panthers vs Hurricanes picks.
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Panthers vs Hurricanes Odds
| Team |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida Panthers | +105 | +105 | +110 |
| Carolina Hurricanes | -118 | -125 | -120 |
Surprisingly, the Hurricanes are the favorite at -118 odds for an implied win probability of 54.13%. The Panthers return at +105 and have a 48.78% chance of coming out victorious. The total is set relatively low at 5.5. Carolina has won three of the last four against Florida, hence the moneyline going in their favor for Thursday's contest.
Panthers Are no Joke
Florida shocked the world in last season's playoffs, eliminating the top-seeded Boston Bruins in the first round before also taking down the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Hurricanes en route to the Finals, where they lost to the Vegas Golden Knights. Absolutely no one could've predicted the Panthers would go on such a Cinderella run, but they've replicated that success in 2023-24 and have shown it was no fluke. Paul Maurice's squad is top dog in the Atlantic and the East with a phenomenal 45-17-4 record and has gone 8-2-0 in their last 10 games.
The Panthers are three points clear of the Bruins with a game in hand and 12 points ahead of the third-place team in the division. On both ends of the ice, Florida is elite. They're allowing a league-low 2.35 goals per night while scoring 3.32 per contest, which ranks eighth. Sam Reinhart is in the midst of a ridiculous year, scoring 46 goals and tallying 31 assists to lead the way. Matthew Tkachuk is also proving his worth once again, tallying 74 points. Aleksander Barkov and Carter Verhaeghe are also sitting at 66 points apiece, too. There are so many different guys on this roster who can produce. It's what makes them so good. The Panthers also got better at the trade deadline, most notably bringing in Vladimir Tarasenko.
Tuesday's victory over Dallas was gutsy. Florida went into the third period down 3-1 but proceeded to score three times thanks to a brace from Barkov and a goal from Sam Bennett as well. The Panthers' quality was on full display. After visiting Carolina, it's back home for a pair of games against the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Nashville Predators.
Hurricanes a Lock For Playoffs
Carolina is a contender and made that clear at the trade deadline, going out and making some impressive moves. The Canes acquired Jake Guentzel from the Pittsburgh Penguins for the stretch run, a player who consistently puts up 50+ points per season. Guentzel has 22 goals and 30 assists in 24' and just made his Carolina debut the other night. He's a nice addition to a strong offense that is led by Sebastian Aho, who has 68 points. Seth Jarvis, Teuvo Teravainen, Max Necas, and Andrei Svechnikov are all consistent contributors, too.
The Hurricanes are a top-10 team on both ends of the ice who have no shortage of talent in all areas. Carolina was enjoying a three-game winning run before being shut out by the Rangers on Tuesday, which is very rare for them. Rod Brind'Amour's group tallied 28 shots but couldn't beat NY netminder Igor Shesterkin. Adam Fox scored the lone goal in the first period. The Canes are 6-3-1 in their last 10 outings and overall, own a 39-20-6 record. That's second in the Metropolitan Division behind you guessed it, the Rangers.
Thursday marks the final contest of this homestand for Carolina, who will hit the road for matchups with the Toronto Maple Leafs, the New York Islanders, and the Ottawa Senators. The Hurricanes are 21-9-4 on home ice, which is a good sign for this clash with the Panthers.
Panthers vs Hurricanes Picks
While Carolina is good at PNC Arena, the Panthers are 24-8-2 on the road. Pair that with how hot they are and I see the value in the Florida moneyline.
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