In their second head-to-head meeting of the regular season, the Carolina Hurricanes and the Florida Panthers take the ice at the BB&T Center. Fox SportsNet Florida will broadcast this Eastern Conference matchup, and the puck drops at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, February 21.
Carolina Hurricanes vs. Florida Panthers Odds
Both squads show an identical -110 money line and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at an even 6 goals. If you want to play the game’s total, you’ll be looking at odds of -110 money on the over and -110 on the under.
Carolina is 31-29 straight up (SU) and has lost 9.3 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 60 regular season outings, 36 of its games have gone under the total, while 23 have gone over and just one has pushed. This 2018-19 Hurricanes team is 15-15 SU on the road.
Carolina has converted on just 16.9 percent of its power play chances this season, a mark that places them in the bottom-10 overall among NHL teams. Its penalty kill is ranked 13th overall, and it has successfully killed off 81.3 percent of its penalties.
Carolina, as a collective unit, has been penalized 3.6 times per game during the 2018-19 season, 3.8 per game over its last five games total, and 3.2 per game over its last five road outings. The team’s had to defend opponent power plays just 6.9 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Averaging 23.9 saves per game with a .902 save percentage, Petr Mrazek (13-15-3) has been the primary option in goal for Carolina this season. If head coach Rod Brind Amour chooses to rest him, however, Carolina could go with Curtis McElhinney (15-8-1), who has a .920 save percentage and 2.35 goals against average this year.
The visiting Hurricanes have relied on Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen this year. Aho has 67 points on 24 goals and 43 assists, and has recorded two or more points 17 times. Teravainen has 17 goals and 35 assists to his credit, and has logged a point in 31 games.
Over on the other bench, Florida is 26-32 straight up (SU) and has lost 11.1 units for moneyline bettors thus far. 29 of its outings have gone over the total, while 22 have gone under and just seven have pushed. It’s 15-15 SU at home this year.
Florida has converted on 25.4 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a figure that places it in the top-5 among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 10th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 81.7 percent of all penalties.
The Panthers have been penalized only 3.4 times per game this season, and 2.6 per game over their past ten match ups. The team’s had to stave off opponent power plays just 5.2 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
James Reimer has stopped 24.2 shots per game as the top option in goal for Florida. Reimer has 14 wins, 19 losses, and five overtime losses to his credit and has maintained a poor .903 save percentage and 3.01 goals against average this season.
Aleksander Barkov (23 goals, 37 assists) will lead the attack for the Panthers.
Carolina Hurricanes at Florida Panthers Betting Picks
Free Pick: SU Winner – Hurricanes, O/U – Under
Betting Trends
- The under has hit in each of Carolina’s last five outings.
- Two offenses that put the puck on net a lot, Carolina has taken the league’s most shots on goal (35.4) and Florida has attempted the fourth-most (33.4).
- The Panthers are 13-17 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 16-23 in games where they’re in the box for fewer than 10 total penalty minutes.
- Carolina is 1-2 in games decided by a shootout this season while Florida is 3-4 in shootouts.
- Florida is ranked 4th with 9.1 takeaways per game. That figure has trended higher lately, as it has created 11.0 takeaways over its last 10 games and 11.6 takeaways over its last five.
- Carolina has forced 7.6 takeaways per game over its last five road games, a drop-off from its season average of 10.7 takeaways per game (ranked first in the NHL).
