The Carolina Hurricanes have emerged as the Stanley Cup favorites after a flurry of upsets has resulted in a surprising semifinal scenario this week. The Florida Panthers will take their Cinderella run into Carolina for Game 1 of their series on Thursday night. Although the Panthers have proven themselves as underdogs against tough opponents throughout the first two rounds, the best Panthers-Hurricanes NHL bet includes taking a look at what the Hurricanes have been able to do on home ice. Bettors can use OddsShopper tools to find the best NHL value for the remainder of the Stanley Cup Playoffs!
Best Panthers-Hurricanes NHL Bets: Home Ice Makes the Difference in Game 1
Per FanDuel Sportsbook, the Hurricanes (-140) enter Game 1 as a slight favorite over the Panthers (+120). The over/under is set at 5.5 (with the over juiced to -128). New users at FanDuel Sportsbook can get a no-sweat first bet of up to $1,000 if they are looking to take advantage of this line!
The Hurricanes have developed a reputation as one of the most sound hockey teams in the league from top to bottom. But road woes in the Stanley Cup Playoffs have plagued them in recent years. It has been a different story at PNC Arena. Carolina is 5-1 at home during the Stanley Cup Playoffs run after going 7-1 on home ice in the 2022 playoff run.
Most teams perform slightly better on home ice during the playoffs. But the difference for Carolina has been so stark in recent years that it is nearly impossible to bet against them when they take the ice in front of their own fans. The latest home triumph came when forward Jesper Fast buried an overtime winner to defeat the New Jersey Devils in Game 5 of the second round, sending the crowd into a frenzy.
Netminder Frederik Andersen will likely be tabbed the starter for Carolina after taking over the duties from Anti Raanta in the middle of the Devils series when Raanta had to miss time due to illness. Andersen has a blistering 1.80 GA/G average in his 10 postseason starts to go with an impressive .931 save percentage
Expect Andersen to stay hot in Game 1 against the Panthers, following the recent trends and leading Carolina to an early series lead over the Panthers.
Best Panthers-Hurricanes Bets: Panthers (-140 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
