NHL Prognostications: Experts' Choices for May 28th
Florida Panthers Seek Series Closure
8 p.m. ET today, the Florida Panthers will aim to close out the Eastern Conference Final as they face the Carolina Hurricanes on the road. Currently, the Panthers are slight favorites, with odds of -113, marking the first time this season that the Hurricanes would be playing at home as underdogs.
The Panthers, who lead the series 3-1, have shown resilience and consistent offense, preventing the Hurricanes from a shutout in the series only twice – most recently in Game Three with a 3-0 win. It's worth noting that after a shutout, the game total has gone over in five out of six games this postseason.
Offensively, the Panthers will receive a boost tonight with the returns of Sam Reinhart, Niko Mikkola, and AJ Greer to the lineup. They will look to capitalize on trends that have seen teams win by two or more goals in 80% of their games, with 70% of those wins coming by three or more goals in the playoffs this year.
The Hurricanes' Freddie Andersen has cashed his under saves prop in eight straight games, with odds currently standing at 22.5 saves for tonight's game. Given that 22.5 would be a winner in Andersen's last nine games, the under on saves remains an attractive bet.
Florida's Evan Rodrigues leads the team in scoring in the series, with six points, all assists, and Carter Verhaeghe's and Sam Bennett's goal-scoring prowess could provide further opportunities for the Panthers. In contrast, Carolina's Jaccob Slavin has shown a defensive presence, recording three or more blocked shots in three out of the four games this series.
Game Five Predictions:- Florida Panthers (-1.5) goals at +210- Florida Panthers (-2.5) goals at +400- 3rd Period Over 1.5 (-185)- Florida Panthers Team Total Over 3 (+115)- Evan Rodrigues Over ½ assist (+200)- Freddie Andersen Under 22.5 saves (-112)- Carter Verhaeghe or Sam Bennett to score a goal (+260 for Verhaeghe, +270 for Bennett)- Eetu Luostarinen Over ½ assist (+275)- Eetu Luostarinen to score a goal (+750)- Florida Panthers to win in 5 games +310- Jaccob Slavin Over 2.5 blocked shots (-150)
Expert picks for Game Five of the Eastern Conference Final predict the Florida Panthers to further solidify their lead, with the Panthers (-1.5) goals at attractive odds of +210. In addition, the 3rd Period Over 1.5 goals seems likely to continue the trend of high-scoring games, with the odds standing at -185. Furthermore, Florida Panthers Team Total Over 3 goals may also present a good opportunity, given odds of +115. Evan Rodrigues, currently leading the team in scoring, is expected to notch another ½ assist, with odds of +200.
