Panthers vs. Hurricanes series preview: Best bets for the Eastern Conference Finals

The bookmakers are struggling to separate the Florida Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Finals. 

The Panthers are the nominal -120 favorite to win the best-of-7 series at Caesars Sportsbook, but opinions on who will advance are split, and for good reason.

Carolina has looked like a juggernaut through the first two rounds of the playoffs, but the Panthers are the defending champions and have had the tougher path of the two teams to this point.

Best bet to win the series: Panthers (-120, Caesars Sportsbook)

I wouldn’t say there is much value in either direction on the series moneyline, but if I had to back a team, it would be the Panthers as a slight favorite.

Carolina can be a stylistic nightmare for plenty of teams, but Florida is well-equipped to handle the Hurricanes’ swarming, relentless system.

The Hurricanes want to get as many pucks on net as humanly possible throughout a game, and take advantage of the ensuing chaos that comes from rebounds, blocked shots, and bounces, but that won’t be all that easy to pull off against Florida.

Paul Maurice and the Florida Panthers have been to the Eastern Conference Finals three years in a row. AP

Only Carolina allowed fewer shot attempts per game than the Panthers did this season.

Florida is able to beat you in so many ways, while the Canes seemingly struggle when they’re forced to go to a Plan B.

Best prop bet: Evan Rodrigues to lead the series in goals (40/1, bet365)

There are a couple of reasons to back a long shot in this market. First of all, it’s expected to be a low-scoring series with the total for Game 1 sitting at 5.5 with juice on the under.

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Secondly, the Panthers and Hurricanes are both deep offensive teams that spread out their scoring.

Those factors should lower the bar for what it will take to lead this series in scoring, opening the door for someone like Evan Rodrigues to top the table.

Rodrigues missed some time in Round 2, but was back on the first line with Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart in Game 7, so he should have the opportunity to make an impact in this series.

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.