Hurricanes play Panthers in must-win game two at home during Eastern Conference Finals
For the second time in three seasons, the Carolina Hurricanes and Florida Panthers are battling in the Eastern Conference Final with a trip to the Stanley Cup Final on the line. But after a stunning 5-2 loss on home ice in Game 1, the Hurricanes are already feeling the pressure.
Florida, making its third straight appearance in the conference finals, came into the series with momentum after a commanding 6-1 win over the Maple Leafs in Game 7 of the previous round. That confidence carried over into Game 1, where the Panthers took control early and never looked back reminding Carolina that they've dropped x straight conference finals games.
The Hurricanes, though, aren’t the same team Florida dismantled in 2023. Carolina stormed past the top-seeded Washington Capitals in five games in the second round, displaying a deeper, more dynamic lineup and an offense firing on all cylinders. But now, they’ll need a response and fast. Game 2 in Raleigh is shaping up as a must-win for Carolina, who can’t afford to head to Sunrise down 0-2.
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All betting lines are from FanDuel Sportsbook and are subject to change. Hockey is a difficult sport to predict so please gamble responsibly.
Florida Panthers vs Carolina Hurricanes Best Bets:
- Over 5.5 goals (+102)
- Hurricanes ML (-128)
- Anton Lundell Over 0.5 points (+135)
- Logan Stankoven Over 0.5 points (+162)
The sportsbooks are expecting a more fierce effort out of Carolina's backend with the Panthers listed with over/under 2.5 goals in this one. The public doesn't agree however, as they are lining up 87 per cent of bets on the over at 5.5 total goals. Hurricanes netminder Fredrick Andersen has been hard to beat in these playoffs with a league-best 1.74 goals against average and .919 save percentage but could Florida light him up for five goals again?
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Andersen has solid career numbers against the Cats with a 12-4-3 record with a 2.72 goals against average and a .911 save percentage but when playing in the postseason it's a completely different story. The Swedish netminder has 0-4-0 record and 13 goals allowed in four playoff starts versus Florida with Tuesday's performance adding to an already troubling record.
The Panthers should take advantage and push the Hurricanes to the limit once again. Florida has scored first in nine of their 13 playoff games and have a 7-2 record. Carolina will need to be in this game early which they've struggled in as they've scored first in just five of their 11 playoff games so far and have just six first period goals compared to Florida's league-best 13 goals.
Carolina will be desperate to even up the series before heading on the road and I expect them to do so but it won't be easy and they will need to get some offence. They are looking to get some production out of Logan Stankoven. The 22-year-old winger was the key returning piece of the Mikko Rantanen trade for Carolina and have been waiting for him to explode in a big way.
After recording scoring two goals in game one of the opening round, he has just a goal and two assists over ten games and needs to have a big game as he still plays meaningful minutes. With a second line placement with Jack Roslovic and Taylor Hall plus a spot on the second power play unit, he should continue to see his 15 minutes on average and help lift his team in a big spot where they really need him.
In return, Florida scored five goals with little help from their highest scoring line in Brad Marchand, Eetu Luostarinen and Anton Lundell. Luostarinen managed to get on the board with a goal, marking four points over his last two games. He has been receiving a lot of help from Marchand, who is second on the team in points with 12 in 13 games.
The two should help their centre finally get things going as Lundell has points in just two of the last six games. Before that, the Finnish forward was red hot with three goals and five assists for eight points over a four-game stretch.
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