The Eastern Conference Final opens tonight with the Florida Panthers hosting the Carolina Hurricanes in what is undoubtedly going to be a tight, physical Game 1 between 2 of the NHL’s most seasoned playoff teams. Florida is looking to defend its Eastern crown and move on to defend their Stanley Cup, while Carolina is hunting for a return to the Stanley Cup Final after falling short last year.
These teams are playing great hockey when it matters the most, but only one of them will take the series lead tonight.
The puck drops tonight at 8:00 PM ET from Amerant Bank Arena, where Florida will try to set the tone early in front of their home crowd. Both teams have had impressive playoff runs, but their styles couldn’t be more different.
Florida, listed as the slight underdogs at +105, has been the most explosive offense in the playoffs. They’ve put up 3.75 GF/G and capitalized on 13% of their shots. Both of which are the tops among the remaining 4 teams.
The Panthers are coming off a 7-game series win over Toronto and haven’t slowed down since Round 1. Sam Reinhart leads the team with 11 postseason points, while Brad Marchand is playing some of his best hockey in years. He’s currently boasting 12 points and a +11 rating.
The Hurricanes, slight favorites at -125, have the one thing Florida hasn't had to face yet this postseason. They have a brick wall named Frederik Andersen. They’ve already taken out the dominant Capitals, now they’ve locked their sights on Florida.
The Panthers roll 4 lines and find scoring from everywhere. Eetu Luostarinen and Anton Lundell have stepped up with 10 points each, and Aleksander Barkov remains steady with a solid 19 assists. Florida is deep, balanced, and dangerous which is why the odds are near even for them.
But Carolina has something Florida doesn’t — absolute goaltending dominance. Andersen is playing like a man possessed. He has a 1.36 GAA and .937 SV% through 9 starts. It’s definitely flashy, but more importantly, it’s winning hockey. The Hurricanes are only allowing 1.80 GA/A and have given up just 18 goals all postseason.
Offensively, the Canes aren’t quite as deep, but they still manage to get timely production. Seth Jarvis leads the way with 10 points. Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov follow closely behind each other doing their part. Carolina’s 3.40 GF/G doesn’t tell the full story, however. It’s their ability to control tempo, win puck battles, and neutralize top lines that makes them dangerous. It’s these types of things that don’t necessarily end up on a stat sheet that are winning their games.
Florida can overwhelm teams with volume and variety. Carolina suffocates opponents with discipline and structure.
The wild card between these 2 powerhouses? Special teams.
Carolina enters with the best PK unit in the postseason at 93.3% and the best power play of any team left, converting at 28.1%. Florida’s units are solid but definitely far from elite. The Panthers’ PK sits at 89.5%, and their power play hits at just over 20%. Where things tilt the most is discipline. Florida has racked up 172 penalty minutes in just 12 games and that’s the most of any team remaining. That’s a massive liability against Carolina, who’s taken just 82 in 10 games and crushes it on the power play.
If Florida can’t stay out of the box, it could give Carolina a free path to momentum in Game 1 and beyond.
For Florida to take Game 1, they need to put an insane amount of pressure Andersen from the jump. That means getting bodies in front of the net, managing redirects, grabbing the rebounds, working the cycle, and forcing Carolina’s defense into scramble mode.
But this is NHL playoff hockey, so that’s easier said than done. Carolina's blue line, anchored by Brent Burns and Jaccob Slavin, isn’t giving up much. The Hurricanes have been excellent at limiting high-danger chances, and Andersen is gobbling up the rest.
The Panthers are scoring in bunches, but they haven’t faced a defense this organized or a goalie this sharp. Florida will need one of their stars — Reinhart, Marchand, or Barkov — to break through early and try to sway the momentum.
Carolina enters with fresher legs and the best structure in the league. They shut down Washington and New Jersey without blinking, and their pace control is absolutely unmatched. If they can frustrate Florida’s transition game and make it a slower, grind-it-out contest, they’ll hold the advantage and it won’t stop at just Game 1.
What makes this matchup so interesting is how both teams rely on such different blueprints to win. Game 1 often sets the tone for a series, and the Panthers must dictate the tempo or risk falling behind early in the series.
We expect Andersen to continue his incredible run and Carolina’s system to hold up in a hostile road environment.
Prediction: Hurricanes 3, Panthers 2
Best Bet: Carolina Hurricanes moneyline at -125
This game will be close and might even make it to OT, so staying away from a puck line is the smarter bet even if it looks better with a +205 at -1.5.