NHL betting preview (May 28): Panthers vs. Hurricanes Game 5 odds

May 28, 2025, 13:10 EDT

Carolina Hurricanes center Seth Jarvis (24) moves the puck as Florida Panthers center Sam Bennett (9) defends during the third period in game four of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amerant Bank Arena.

Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Join Daily Faceoff’s Nick Martin as he handicaps Wednesday’s NHL playoff matchup between the Florida Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes.

Panthers vs. Hurricanes Game 5 Odds

Panthers Moneyline: -110
Hurricanes Moneyline: -110
Puck Line: Panthers -1.5 (+210), Hurricanes +1.5 (+140)
Game Total: 5.5 (Over +105, Under -125)

Game odds via Sports Interaction. Get Daily Faceoff’s Sports Interaction bonus code here!

Florida Panthers

Head coach Paul Maurice’s side will be looking to bounce back after suffering a convincing 3-0 loss on home ice in Game 4, a matchup in which they were outpaced and outchanced by the Hurricanes.

The Hurricanes held a 10-2 edge in high-danger scoring chances at even strength and generated 4.54 expected goals across all strengths. Despite Game 4 being arguably the Panthers’ worst performance of the entire postseason, they managed to hang in with a strong performance in goal from Sergei Bobrovsky.

The Panthers were without two critical pieces in Game 4, Sam Reinhart and Niko Mikkola, as well as A.J. Greer, who had provided effective minutes on the fourth line.

The Hurricanes were much faster to loose pucks in Game 4 and showed a greater level of desperation than the Panthers. For those reasons, it would be hard to pin the loss on the absences of Reinhart and Mikkola, but their respective even-strength units were much less effective than they have been the rest of the time in this series.

Mikkola’s strong skating ability and puck movement helped limit the effectiveness of the Hurricanes’ forecheck in this series, an area in which the Panthers struggled much more so in Game 4.

Maurice said that all three of Reinhart, Mikkola, and Greer are expected to return in this matchup.

Carolina Hurricanes

These two sides do employ a similar style tactically, aside from the Hurricanes holding a slightly greater willingness to pour low-danger shot attempts on goal. Both feature very aggressive forechecks and attempt to create turnovers down low to create high-quality looks.

The Panthers have succeeded on five-on-five zone exits at a higher rate than any Eastern Conference team this postseason and fared well in that regard in the first three games of this series.

Head coach Rod Brind’Amour called out his top stars following Game 3, and was rewarded with a strong response from top forwards such as Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov, and Seth Jarvis.

In 8:22 of even-strength play in Game 4, Carolina’s top offensive trio outshot the Panthers six to one and outattempted them 12 to 1.

Aho finished with a game-high 1.53 expected goals, and led all skaters with 11 shot attempts and was finally rewarded with an empty-netter to ice the game late in the third.

Carolina’s defensive core managed the puck much more effectively down low than it had throughout the first three games of the series, which helped to limit the number of high quality scoring chances Frederik Andersen faced.

Brind’Amour finally entrusted highly touted defender Alexander Nikishin to handle a larger workload skating alongside countryman Dmitri Orlov, and the two fared well, finishing with a 75.6% expected goal share in 12:06 of ice time together.

Given the way that Shayne Gostisbehere and Scott Morrow have struggled, it does seem fair to criticize Brind’Amour for not allowing Nikishin to settle in and take on a larger role earlier on in the postseason.

Jaccob Slavin was fantastic in 28 minutes of time-on-ice, and deserved to be named the game’s top star. Jalen Chatfield and Sean Walker are both expected to remain sidelined in this matchup, which will likely mean another heavy workload for arguably the game’s best shutdown defender.

Andersen responded well after serving as the backup in Game 4, finishing with a +1.45 GSAx rating in Game 4. He now holds a +9.3 GSAx and .914 save percentage this postseason.

Best bet for Panthers vs Hurricanes Game 5

Sebastian Aho Over 2.5 Shots on Goal: +105 at Sports Interaction

The Hurricanes were deserving winners in Game 4, as they did a much better job of managing the puck, and were also able to cause more problems with their forecheck than they had throughout the first three games of the series.

While the Hurricanes deserve credit for their performance in Game 4, it did seem to be somewhat of an off night for the Panthers, and part of their struggles also appeared to be due to the absences of Mikkola and Reinhart.

At the current betting prices, the Panthers would be my lean in terms of a side, as they are obviously a battle-tested group capable of offering a better performance in this matchup.

My favorite play lies in backing Aho to record over 2.5 shots on goal at +105, after he poured 11 attempts on net in Game 4 playing on a top line that was dominant. Aho skated 12:46 in Game 4, and will likely take on a big role once again in tonight’s matchup given the likelihood that this is a closely contested game.

Aho has averaged 6.5 shot attempts per game in the series and recorded over 2.5 shots on goal in two of the four matchups, and at a price of +105, there looks to be value in backing him to go over 2.5 in Wednesday’s do-or-die matchup.