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The Florida Panthers went the distance with the Toronto Maple Leafs, but anybody who watched that series knows that it wasn’t that close.
While the Cats were not at their best in Game 1, they took over the series from there and were more unlucky than anything else in defeats in Games 2 and 6.
Florida was especially dominant at 5-on-5, outscoring the Leafs, 20-15, while generating 163 more shot attempts at full strength in the best-of-7 series.
It was a comprehensive victory, even if it went down to the wire.
Another encouraging sign for the Panthers is that they got production from all over their lineup against the Leafs, with role players like Jonah Gadjovich, Seth Jones and Tomas Nosek finding the back of the net.
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Panthers vs. Hurricanes Game 1 pick
The Panthers are unlikely to have it that easy against the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference finals, but there are some signals that suggest that Florida may be too much for the Canes to handle in a best-of-seven series.
While Carolina put up some terrific numbers against the Devils and Capitals, they also caught plenty of breaks.
Carolina’s Andrei Svechnikov and Seth Jarvis celebrate a goal in Game 5 against the Capitals. APThe Canes scored 11 goals from outside the slot through the first two rounds, which is easily the most of any team in the postseason.
What’s most concerning for the Hurricanes is that they will not be able to tilt the ice against the Panthers like they were against the banged-up Devils and Capitals.
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Carolina’s system only works if it can get a ton of pucks towards the net, and that is unlikely to happen against the team that allowed the second-fewest shot attempts during the regular season.
There’s value on the Cats as a ‘dog in Game 1 on Tuesday night.
The Play: Panthers (+104, Bet365)
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.
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