Hurricanes vs Panthers Game 4: NHL Odds, Preview, Prediction

Hurricanes vs Panthers Game 4 Odds

Game 4 gets underway Wednesday night with the Florida Panthers hosting the Carolina Hurricanes in this NHL Eastern Conference Final.

After winning each of the first three matchups, Florida can clinch a berth to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 1996. Will the Panthers finish things off at FLA Live Arena or will the Canes force a Game 5 back in Raleigh, N.C.?

Here’s a look at the latest odds, as well as my Hurricanes vs. Panthers Game 4 prediction.

It is a rare occurrence when a team controls play in each of the first three games of a playoff series but has zero wins to show for it. Well, here we are.

Despite playing better hockey in roughly 90% of this series, the Carolina Hurricanes are on the brink of elimination. First of all, they have run into a brick wall in the form of Sergei Bobrovsky, but more on that later.

Secondly, they just cannot catch a single break. The Canes are not getting the whistles, they keep hitting posts, and they have not gotten the job done in games that needed an extra period (or three).

That is not to take anything away from the Florida Panthers, who have been excellent in their own right. However, the better team is trailing 3-0 in this series, and I do not think they are simply going to lay down and quit in Game 4.

In five-on-five action since the Christmas break, Carolina ranks first in the league in both expected goals for per 60 minutes (xGF/60) and expected goals against per 60 minutes (xGA/60). Backing up this elite two-way team is goaltender Frederik Andersen.

Andersen has been incredible this postseason, going 5-2 with a .937 save percentage (SV%) and 1.58 goals against average (GAA). However, this fact is overshadowed simply because of what the guy across the ice is accomplishing.

Bobrovsky might be putting together one of the greatest stretches of goaltending I have ever seen. Over his past four starts, he is 4-0 with a .973 SV% and 0.89 GAA.

In fact, he has not allowed more than two goals in each of the last two series! Not only that, but he shut down the Toronto Maple Leafs and is currently stuffing the Canes, two of the most talented offenses in the league.

Now, the question should be whether or not this current level of play is sustainable. The answer is simple: no.

However, he could certainly keep it going for a few more games, which made handicapping this series so difficult. The Hurricanes are the better team and they have played the better hockey in every game of this series outside of the last two overtimes of Game 1.

Bobrovsky has bailed out Florida time and again, but we must remember this is a guy who lost his starting job to Alex Lyon after posting a .901 SV% and 3.07 GAA during the regular season. He could absolutely keep this ridiculous performance going through the end of this postseason, in which case the Panthers will raise the Cup.

With that said, if the expected regression hits and he comes back down to Earth even slightly, we should not be surprised.

Hurricanes vs Panthers Pick

While I do not feel the Canes are capable of mounting a series comeback down 3-0, they can still win a couple of games and make things competitive again. A huge question mark in Game 4 is whether or not Aleksander Barkov will be able to go, as that would be a massive loss for Florida.

He does all the little things that do not show up in the box sheet: winning massive draws, shutting down Carolina in the defensive zone and limiting opposing entries into the neutral zone. The guy makes his presence felt all over the ice, and that is not something you can simply replace.

Regardless of whether he plays or not, I will be on the Canes to avoid the sweep on Wednesday. They are too good of a team to lay down. Whether or not Bobrovsky continues this dominance, it is not sustainable for a goaltender to post a SV% near .980, especially against an offense as talented as Carolina’s.