The Florida Panthers have been stuck in neutral for most of the season, as evidenced by their .500 record. They will take on the Carolina Hurricanes Friday night at PNC Arena, and the Hurricanes will be looking for their 10th straight victory.
Florida is coming off an impressive victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night, and the hope is that they will get their act together as the NHL schedule heads toward the midway point.
Florida Panthers vs Carolina Panthers Information
- Date: Friday, December 30, 2022
- Time: 7:30 PM
- Venue: PNC Arena
- Location: Raleigh, North Carolina
- How to Watch: ESPN+
Florida Panthers vs Carolina Hurricanes Last Game Record
The Florida Panthers took on the Montreal Canadiens in their previous game, which took place on Thursday. The Panthers came away with a convincing 7-2 victory. The offense was on display early as the Panthers got on the board just 2:37 into the game.
Center Aleksander Barkov notched a natural hat trick in the first period, and the Panthers led 3-2 after one period. The Panthers would go on to score four unanswered goals to put the game away in dominant fashion. Left winger Matthew Tkachuk added two goals in the victory.
The Carolina Hurricanes last played on Tuesday night, and they registered their ninth straight victory with a shutout win over the Chicago Blackhawks. The Hurricanes scored two goals in the first period, and that was all that goaltender Antti Raanta would need, as he stopped all 24 shots he faced in registering his first shutout of the season.
Florida Panthers vs Carolina Hurricanes Odds
Florida Panthers vs Carolina Hurricanes Analysis
The Florida Panthers come into play with a record of 16-16-4, good for 36 points and sixth place in the Atlantic Division. Looking at the NHL standings, the Panthers trail the Boston Bruins by 23 points in the Atlantic Division, and they are currently the 12th-best team in the Eastern Conference. The Panthers snapped a three-game losing streak with their victory over Montreal on Thursday.
Taking a look at NHL stats, the Panthers are averaging 3.33 goals per game and allowing 3.36 goals per contest. Glancing at the NHL player stats, the Panthers are led offensively by Tkachuk, who has 17 goals and 26 assists for 43 points. Center Carter Verhaeghe leads the team with 18 goals this season.
Florida has three players that have at least ten goals. Between the pipes, goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky has a record of 8-11-1 with a goals-against average of 3.23 and a save percentage of .897. Taking a look at the NHL injury report, the Panthers will be without center Chris Tierney and defenseman Radko Gudas.
The Carolina Hurricanes come into play with a record of 23-6-6, good for 52 points and first place in the Metropolitan Division, six points ahead of the New Jersey Devils in the NHL standings.
The Hurricanes are currently the second-best team in the Eastern Conference in terms of points. They have won nine straight games to fly to the top of the Metro Division standings. The Hurricanes are averaging 3.06 goals per game while allowing just 2.54 goals per contest.
Looking at NHL player stats is a key component to help make an accurate Panthers vs Hurricanes prediction. Carolina is led offensively by center Martin Necas, who has 15 goals and 19 assists for 34 points. Right winger Andrei Svechnikov leads the Hurricanes with 18 goals, and defenseman Brent Burns leads the team with 20 assists.
Carolina has four players with at least ten goals. Between the pipes, goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov has a record of 10-1-4 with a goals-against average of 1.94 and a save percentage of .928.
Odds Break down for Panthers vs Hurricanes
When making NHL picks today, the best way to make an accurate Panthers vs Hurricanes prediction is to look at the NHL odds. The odds for this game are as follows:
Florida Panthers
Moneyline: +152 Puck Line: +1.5 (-165) O/U: 6.5
Carolina Hurricanes
Moneyline: -169 Puck Line: -1.5 (+145) O/U: 6.5
Florida Panthers vs Carolina Hurricanes Betting Pick and Prediction
Both of these NHL teams are extremely talented. The Panthers have not had a sustained run of success yet this season, but it is coming. The Hurricanes are just picking up where they left off a year ago when they exceeded 100 points in a season.
Carolina has lost just four NHL matchups at home this season, so the numbers say that they will win, but when making NHL picks, the goal is to make money, so here is what you should bet on.
Over 6.5
Florida +152
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