Carolina Hurricanes vs. Florida Panthers Game 4 Prediction, NHL Odds
The Cats are -180 favourites on the NHL odds with a total of 5.5 goals.
Hurricanes vs. Panthers NHL Betting Odds
I never expected a sweep in this series, but that’s what we might be looking at Monday. Nothing against defending Stanley Cup champion Florida, which is obviously excellent, but Carolina had one more regular-season point and thus home-ice advantage in the East Finals. But the Hurricanes have been simply blown away – pun intended – in being outscored a combined 16-4 in the first three games. The plus-12 goal differential is the largest through the first three games of any conference final in history.
I expected, a close, low-scoring, hard-fought series. We got that for two periods in Game 3 on Saturday but then Florida went bonkers in the third in the 6-2 win.
Florida is now -5000 (was -650 entering Game 3) on the series line and Carolina +1500 – same prices to win the Eastern Conference. That we get a fifth game back in Raleigh on Wednesday and it ends then is +350 – both on the total games prop and on Panthers in five on correct series result prop. Carolina at +2.5 games in the series is also +350, while Florida -2.5 is -450.
The Panthers are now clear -105 favourites to repeat as Stanley Cup champions, and goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky is the +200 leader for the Conn Smythe Trophy. Even though Florida beat Edmonton in the 2024 Cup Finals, you likely remember that no Panthers player won the Conn Smythe (and never has), but that the Oilers’ Connor McDavid did.
In NHL playoff history, only four teams have overcome a 3-0 series deficit to win a round. Florida is 5-0 all-time in a best-of-seven series when leading 3-0. Carolina is 0-7 when trailing 3-0.
Carolina Hurricanes
Carolina’s leading playoff scorer, winger Seth Jarvis, was in question for Game 3 with an injury but played and had one of the Hurricanes’ two goals in the 6-2 loss. It was his fifth goal and 13th point of the postseason. Jarvis is +245 for an anytime goal Monday. Logan Stankoven had the other goal, his fourth of these playoffs. The Canes played very well for two periods Saturday as the game was tied 1-1 entering the third, but then goalie Pyotr Kochetkov fell apart.
We told you in our preview that we expected Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour to bench goaltender Frederik Andersen, the starter in the first two games, and that’s what happened. Hard to know who starts Monday in an effort to save the season. Blueliner Sean Walker missed Game 3 injured. Fellow defenceman Jalen Chatfield missed a fourth straight game with an injury. Thus, Carolina had to play a pair of rookies in Game 3 back there in Scott Morrow and Alexander Nikishin.
Florida Panthers
Florida set a franchise playoff record with five goals in the third period on Saturday to break it open – the overall mark for most goals in any postseason period is seven by Montreal on March 30, 1944 when it beat Toronto 11-0. Four of those Panthers goals came in the span of just 4:11 of game time. Florida has now scored at least five goals in four straight games and has at least six goals in five games in these playoffs. The record is seven by Chicago and Edmonton in 1985. Only three other teams in the past 30 postseasons have scored at least five goals in four straight games: Colorado in 2024 (five in a row) and 2021 (four) and Detroit in 1995 (four).
Blueliner Nikko Mikkola and star forward Aleksander Barkov both had two goals in Saturday’s win. Barkov, who also had an assist, now leads the club with 15 points this postseason and became the first player in team history with 20 career multi-point playoff games. He is +220 for at least two points Monday. What made Saturday’s explosion even more impressive was that Florida was without regular-season leading scorer Sam Reinhart (11 playoff points) due to injury – questionable for Monday – and fellow forward Eetu Luostarinen was ejected for boarding Carolina forward Jackson Blake in the first period. Luostarinen was tied for the team lead with 13 points entering Game 3. The Panthers would kill off that five-minute major in what Coach Paul Maurice said was “a real inflection point in the game.” Florida is now 7-0 all-time vs. Carolina in the postseason.
