Florida Panthers vs Carolina Hurricanes prediction 05-18-2023 NHL Picks

The Florida Panthers and the Carolina Hurricanes meet in game one of the Eastern Conference Finals in NHL action from the PNC Arena on Thursday. Let’s dive into the odds, history and make a prediction for this game.

Odds

Carolina is listed as a -140 home favorite while Florida is a +120 road underdog. The total for this game is set at 5.5 goals.

Matchup History

Carolina’s 6-4 win on April 13, 2023, made it back-to-back wins for the Hurricanes in this head-to-head matchup.

Trends

Florida is 7-1 in their last 8 games overall and 10-1 in their last 11 road games while the under is 4-0 in their last 4 games following a win. Florida is 50-22 in their last 72 games overall and 42-15 in their last 57 home games while the over is 4-1 in their last 5 games overall.

Pick

I’m backing the under here. I think this is going to be a feeling out process in game one and it’s also going to be a game where I think the goaltending shows up big here. In the opener, I feel like this is a first to 3 wins kind of game if we even make it that high, so give me the under here.