Panthers vs Hurricanes Game 2 Prediction, Odds, Picks May 20

The Stanley Cup Playoffs is a war on attrition. And the Florida Panthers proved to be the more resilient team in a four-overtime marathon against Carolina in Game 1. Despite Florida’s victory, the NHL lines continue to favor Carolina. This time, the Hurricanes move down to -150 on the moneyline. Florida has been a money train as an underdog and will look for another upset.

Panthers Stay Hot on the Road

Just how do you slow these Florida Panthers? With the win on Wednesday, the Panthers won their seventh straight road game. Sergei Bobrovsky was all but unbeatable as he stopped all 55 even-strength shots he faced for a second consecutive 50+ save outing.

Make it 6️⃣3️⃣ saves for Sergei BOBROVSKY in Game 1! pic.twitter.com/qfccE6my6L

— JayOnSC (@JayOnSC) May 19, 2023

With Bobrovsky staying dominant, the Panthers are tough to bet online against. Carolina outplayed Florida on 5-on-5 for most of the regulation as the Hurricanes had nearly 20 more shots on goal by the second overtime. But Florida fought back and finished off the fading Hurricanes. It was the type of game that makes the Panthers appear like the “team of destiny”.

Conventional wisdom suggests Florida is bound to run out of gas at some point. Bobrovsky can’t possibly have another 50-save outing in him, right? Most NHL picks expect Carolina to even the series. But the Panthers remain a sharp underdog pick as the team has won eight of its last nine games all as one. Fade them at your own risk.

Hurricanes’ Even Strength Struggles Resurface

Online sports betting odds can estimate a team’s chances of success based on their statistics. And the Hurricanes have dominated in this category namely on 5-on-5 corsi for percentage and scoring chances. This team led the regular season in the former and was third in the latter But the team had a glaring weakness: converting on scoring chances.

We saw it in spades on Wednesday as Carolina failed to bury one of their 55 shots at even strength. Both of their goals came on the power play. The team’s 7.7 shooting percentage (SH%) on 5-on-5 ranked just 28th in the league and this is a troubling stat if Game 1 was any indication.

Carolina found itself on the wrong end of NHL news for Game 1 for these reasons. But even if the team did have a hard time getting past Ilya Sorokin in the Islanders’ series (5.8 SH% on 5-on-5), it still found a way to win in the series. Of course, Florida is a deadlier team than the Islanders on offense. So Carolina needs to solve its offensive shortcomings.

Panthers vs Hurricanes Game Injuries

Panthers vs Hurricanes Head-to-Head

The total has gone under in four of these teams’ last five games. It’s a similar stat when they play in Carolina: four out of their last five have gone under. Carolina is just 4-6 (4-2-4) in its last 10 games against Florida.

Panthers vs Hurricanes Game Information

• Game: Panthers (51-36-8) vs Hurricanes (60-24-10)
• Location: PNC Arena, Raleigh, NC
• Day/Time: Saturday, May 20, 8:00 p.m. ET
• Panthers vs Hurricanes Live Stream: NHL.TV

Panthers vs Hurricanes Betting Lines

Panthers vs Hurricanes Picks and Prediction

The NHL odds are still a bit off here. Florida continues to be underestimated because it is the lower seed and playing on the road. But this is still the same team that beat both Stanley Cup favorites. The Panthers are better at finishing scoring chances and their goaltender is on fire. At their odds, bet them.

Florida is listed at +130 in our Vegas NHL odds. This means that if you wager $100 on the Panthers, you can win $130. Carolina is -150, offering a chance to win $67 on a $100 wager.

The implied probability attached to the betting lines gives Florida a 43.48% chance to win, with the Hurricanes at 60.00%