Florida Panthers vs Carolina Hurricanes Series Predictions and Best Bets

by Ryan Cobbett - 5/19/2025

The Carolina Hurricanes will now square off against the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Final as they look to knock off the reigning Stanley Cup Champions. Carolina continued their dominating ways in the second round as they eliminated the Washington Capitals in five games. The Hurricanes are now 8-2 with a +16-goal differential. Florida had a much tougher time in the second round as they battled back from a 2-0 series deficit, going 4-1 over the final five games of the series, and knocked off the Toronto Maple Leafs. Florida is now 8-4 in the playoffs with a +16-goal differential. Though we are far from the regular season at this point, Florida did go 2-1 against Carolina this season and finished the season series with a +7-goal differential.

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Team Summaries

Carolina has yet to struggle this postseason. They have dominated the opposition through the first two rounds and are riding a huge momentum wave into the Conference Finals. Carolina has an average of 3.40 GF/G through their 10 postseason games which is much higher than their 3.24 GF/G regular season average. They have had the best Special Teams play out of the playoff teams as they have cashed in on 28.1% of their man advantage opportunities (second out of remaining teams, behind Dallas) while also recording a 93.3% PK%, the best amongst playoff teams. Seth Jarvis and Sebastian Aho lead the team with 10 points. Jarvis has four goals and six assists while Aho has three goals and seven assists. Andrei Svechnikov leads the team with eight goals and is second amongst playoff teams behind Mikko Rantanen. Logan Stankoven and Shayne Gostisbehere both have three goals, though Gostisbehere has a -5 +/- rating. Frederik Andersen continues to be the top goalie in the playoffs this year as he has allowed just 1.36 GA/G and has recorded a .937 SV%. It is worth noting that Andersen has only seen 189 shot attempts which ranks ninth among playoff goalies this postseason. Carolina is the only team to allow less than two goals per game.

Florida breezed through the Battle for Florida in the first round, but they had to dig deep to keep their repeat hopes alive. They lost the two first games of the series against Toronto, before completely dominating the remainder of the series. They allowed nine goals in the first two games of the second round but allowed just eight in the remaining five games. Through 12 playoff games, Florida is averaging 3.75 GF/G which is much higher than their 3.00 GF/G regular season mark. Their power play units have struggled as they have cashed in on just 20.5% of their man advantage opportunities which ranks 10th amongst the 16 playoff teams. They have combated their power play struggles by killing off 89.5% of their opponent’s power play chances which ranks second behind their Conference Final opponents. Deadline addition Brad Marchand is tied for the team lead with 12 points. He and Eetu Luostarinen have tallied three goals and nine assists. Sam Bennett is the team leader in goals with six while Sam Reinhart, Carter Verhaeghe, and Anton Lundell have four. Florida has had 10 players score at least three goals this postseason as they have finally gotten healthy and the depth is shining. Sergei Bobrovsky has allowed 2.31 GA/G and has a .901 SV% through 12 postseason games.

Goalie Matchup

Andersen has had great defensive play in front of him and has had limited shots reach him, but he has dominated in his limited sample size. In five road playoff starts Andersen has allowed just 1.60 GA/G which has been a huge factor in Carolina stealing road wins. At home, he has been even better. He has allowed just 1.00 GA/G on home ice, allowing just four goals on 92 shot attempts. Andersen has not yet faced Florida this season.

Bobrovsky has been stellar over his last four starts as he has allowed just four goals while also shutting out Toronto in Game Four. He has put the early round struggles behind him and is looking to continue to ride his momentum into the semifinals. Bobrovsky has allowed 16 goals across his seven road starts this postseason. At home, he’s allowed 12 goals on 112 shot attempts. Bobrovsky is 1-1 against Carolina this season and he has allowed five goals on 70 shot attempts.

Skaters to Watch

Carolina Hurricanes:

Aho has been the Hurricanes go to on power play’s as he has three of the teams nine, man advantage, goals.
Svechnikov has tallied 20 points over his last 21 postseason games and is averaging a goal every other game during this stretch.
William Carrier is the only player to appear in all 10 of Carolina’s playoff games and not record a point.

Florida Panthers:

Marchand is tied for the team lead in points, but eight of those came against Toronto has he has continued to be a Maple Leaf killer throughout his career.
Reinhart has been one of the league’s most prominent goal scorers over the past few seasons, however he has yet to fully get going during the postseason with just four goals in 12 games.
Matthew Tkachuk has nine points for Florida this postseason and has 55 points in his 56 postseason games with the Panthers.

Series Pick

Two years ago, Florida swept Carolina in the Conference Finals, winning each game by just one goal. Florida is looking to return to the Stanley Cup Finals for the third straight season and continue their reign. However, Carolina is in a much better position this time around than they were two years ago. Carolina has been playing error-free hockey and has faced little resistance. That could come back to haunt them as Florida will surely give them an incredibly tough series. Andersen looks unstoppable and Carolina has scored at will. Florida is battle tested and has perhaps the best depth in the playoffs this season now at full strength. Florida is 5-2 on the road during the postseason and they will need to continue that dominance here. Despite all the numbers, Carolina is the better team. If Andersen can continue to shut down the opposition, despite an increased workload, then Carolina will squeak by. Curveball… the better team doesn’t always win. Florida has all the momentum they could ask for heading into this round. Florida wins another tough series.

My Pick: Florida Panthers to Win: -125, Series Total Games: Over 5.5 -210, Series Exact Games: 7 Games +165

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Start:	May 19, 2025 @ 11:00 PM
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Florida Panthers vs Carolina Hurricanes Series Predictions and Best Bets

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