The Florida Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes meet Thursday in NHL action from the PNC Arena. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Florida Panthers vs. Carolina Hurricanes prediction.

Florida Panthers Team Preview

The Florida Panthers come into this game looking to build on a 4-3 win over Dallas last time out. Sam Reinhart leads the Panthers in scoring with 77 points including a team-high 46 goals and 31 assists while Aleksander Barkov has 66 points with 18 goals and 48 assists. Carter Verhaeghe has 66 points with 30 goals and 36 assists while Matthew Tkachuk has 74 points with 53 assists of his own this season. Sergei Bobrovsky has posted a 32-12-2 mark with a 2.30 GAA and .918 save percentage in goal for Florida this season while Anthony Stolarz is 13-5-2 with a 2.02 GAA and a .925 save percentage this season.

Florida Panthers Team Facts

• The Panthers have won four of their last five games as underdogs against Metropolitan Division opponents.
• The Panthers have covered the puck line in each of their last 10 games as underdogs.
• The Panthers have lost the first period in each of their last four games at PNC Arena following a road win.
• The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 2′ market has hit in each of the Panthers’ last seven games.

Carolina Hurricanes Team Preview

The Carolina Hurricanes come into this game looking to rebound after a 1-0 to the Rangers in their last outing. Sebastian Aho leads the Hurricanes in scoring with 68 points including 25 goals and a team-high 43 assists while Seth Jarvis has 50 points split between 20 goals and 30 assists. Martin Necas has 45 points and Teuvo Teravainen has 47 points, with Teravainen logging 21 goals and Necas chipping in 20 tallies. In goal, Frederik Andersen has gone 6-1 with a 2.50 GAA and an .872 save percentage while Antti Raanta is 12-7-2 with a 2.99 GAA and an .872 save percentage and Pyotr Kochetkov is 17-12-3 with a 2.35 GAA and a .911 save percentage.

Carolina Hurricanes Team Facts

• The Hurricanes have won nine of their last 10 games against Atlantic Division opponents.
• The underdogs have covered the puck line in each of the last seven games between the Panthers and Hurricanes.
• The Hurricanes have won the third period in each of their last five games at PNC Arena following a loss.
• The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 1′ market has hit in nine of the Hurricanes’ last 11 games following a loss.

Panthers vs. Hurricanes Prediction

I’m on the Panthers here. I went back and forth on this game, and I think you’re really splitting hairs. That being said, the Panthers have won 5 of the last 6 meetings going back to last year’s playoff sweep, and we’re getting plus/even money with one of the hottest teams in the NHL and one of the best teams in the NHL. And as well as Carolina plays at home, you could argue that Florida’s played as well if not better on the road this season. Give me Florida and the value here.