NHL betting preview (May 24): Hurricanes vs. Panthers Game 3 odds
Join Daily Faceoff’s Nick Martin as he handicaps Saturday’s NHL playoff matchup between the Carolina Hurricanes and Florida Panthers.
Hurricanes vs. Panthers Game 3 Odds
- Hurricanes Moneyline: +125
- Panthers Moneyline: -149
- Puck Line: Hurricanes +1.5 (-208), Panthers -1.5 (+170)
- Game Total: 5.5 (Over +115, Under -133)
Game odds via Sports Interaction. Get Daily Faceoff’s Sports Interaction bonus code here!
Carolina Hurricanes
Ahead of Game 2, it seemed reasonable to believe the Hurricanes would offer a sharper performance in response to a demoralizing loss on home ice in the series opener. That was not the case, however, as the Panthers cruised to a 5-0 win and won in even more convincing fashion.
From a tactical perspective, the Panthers have been the superior team by a wide margin. Florida has exited its zone with possession on over 80% of attempts in five-on-five play in the series, consistently beating a Hurricanes forecheck, which is typically one of the team’s greatest strengths.
The Hurricanes generated only 15 shots and 1.41 expected goals for in Game 2, and failed to get anything past Sergei Bobrovsky.
Head coach Rod Brind’Amour will be focused on finding adjustments that lead to more offensive success entering this matchup, but that’s easier said than done versus a proven Panthers side that has allowed only six goals against over the last six games.
Dating back to the 2023 Eastern Conference Final between these two sides, in which both sides featured similar roster cores and the same head coaches, the Hurricanes have scored just 1.33 goals per game in their last six playoff games versus Bobrovsky and the Panthers.
A more realistic area for the Hurricanes to show improvement in Game 3 could be on the defensive side of the puck, as they have done an uncharacteristically bad job of managing the puck below the goal line.
One adjustment the Hurricanes could make is trusting breaking out through the middle of the ice to a greater extent, as Florida’s defenders are already sitting on every play at the wall, taking away any space for Carolina’s wingers to make a play.
Beating the Panthers forecheck is another improvement that is easier said than done, but the Hurricanes defenders should be capable of handling the puck at least somewhat better down low and could benefit from experiencing the pace of the Panthers’ forecheck for two games.
Seth Jarvis, Sean Walker, and Jalen Chatfield were all listed as day-to-day after Game 2, but based on today’s morning skate, Jarvis and Walker will play in this matchup.
It also appears that Brind’Amour will stick with Scott Morrow as the sixth defender in this matchup, which continues to look like a very puzzling choice as Alexander Nikishin offers drastically more upside.
There is some volatility in bringing in an inexperienced skater like Nikishin into such a tough environment, but Morrow has struggled mightily, and at this point it is abundantly clear that the Hurricanes need to swing for upside after the first two games of this series.
Florida Panthers
After two uncharacteristically sloppy performances defensively and in goal from Bobrovsky at the start of Round 2 versus the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Panthers have rattled off six wins in their last seven games in dominant fashion.
They hold a 55.95% expected goal share in even-strength play during that span, and have allowed only 2.20 xGA/60. Seth Jones and Niko Mikkola have both played at a surprisingly high level, and are a good testament to just how fundamentally strong the team’s style of play is under Maurice.
The Panthers’ forward corps has done a tremendous job of supporting the middle of the ice to help take away time and space in the neutral zone, which has helped make the Hurricanes’ and Maple Leafs’ offensive upside appear quite limited.
Florida will be without one significant piece in this matchup, as it has been confirmed that Sam Reinhart will miss this matchup. Reinhart received a Selke trophy nomination for his dominant defensive play this season and obviously is an elite finisher at the other end of the ice.
Over his last seven starts, Bobrovsky holds a .942 save percentage and a 1.39 GAA. He’s not been asked to handle an overly difficult workload recently, but has been razor-sharp when called upon.
Best bet for Hurricanes vs. Panthers Game 3
First Period Under 1.5 Goals: -135 at Sports Interaction
The first two games of this series have been less of a slog than was once expected, as the Panthers have generated plenty of offence early on in both matchups in Carolina.
In a near do-or-die spot, it does seem reasonable to believe the Hurricanes can hang around and make this into a tighter matchup, but it still seems difficult to imagine that they will be able to create much offensively versus a Panthers side that is in such dominant form defensively.
In the later games of the Panthers series versus the Maple Leafs, betting on the first period to feature under 1.5 total goals was highly effective, while that bet hit in six of 10 of the Hurricanes matchups this postseason prior to this series.
This matchup looks like a good spot to expect a more battened down game early on, and there looks to be value betting the first period to feature less than two goals at -135.