Florida Panthers (-113, 5.5) at Carolina Hurricanes
Florida leads series 3-1
8 p.m. ET
For the third time in this postseason, the Panthers have a chance to close out a series on the road and have the home crowd leave disappointed. As of now, the Panthers are a small favorite (-113). If they stay the betting favorite, it would be the first time this season (regular season and playoffs) that the Hurricanes would be home underdogs. Carolina’s 3-0 win in Game Three over the Panthers was just the second time in the last three postseasons that the Panthers have been blanked (credit @bobanobets for that statistic).
Something to keep in mind is that we have seen the full game Over, cashing in five of the six games in this postseason following a shutout. More trends to discuss. With the Oilers 4-1-win last night, the (-2.5) alternate puck line has cashed in nine straight games. Eighteen of the last 20 playoff games have seen teams win by two or more goals, and 14 of the 18 wins have been by three or more goals. Florida will get a boost tonight with the returns of Sam Reinhart, Niko Mikkola and AJ Greer to the lineup.
Hurricanes goalie Freddie Andersen has cashed his Under saves prop in eight straight games. The prop has cashed in nine consecutive games when you include Pyotr Kochetkov’s start in Game Three. The saves prop has dropped from 23.5 to 22.5 for tonight’s Game Four. I am not concerned about having one less shot in my favor to work with, as 22.5 would be a winner in the previous nine games.
Tonight is the 20th playoff game with the potential for handshakes. The third period Over 1.5 goals in potential handshake games has cashed in 15 of the previous 19 games. Florida’s run of scoring five or more goals came to an end in Game Four, but I will be on their team total Over 3 (available at BetMGM).
On to the player props. Like all Florida players, Evan Rodrigues was held off the scoresheet in Game Four, but his six points (all assists) leads the Panthers in scoring in the series. Sam Bennett leads Florida with nine goals, eight of which have come on the road. Eetu Luostarinen’s 12 road points tops the team (four goals, eight assists). Carolina’s Jaccob Slavin has had three blocked shots or more in three of the four games in the series. He played 28 minutes in Game Three. It would not surprise me if he exceeded those minutes tonight, leading to more blocked shots
Game Five Predictions:
Florida Panthers -1.5 goals (+210) – 1 unit
Florida Panthers -2.5 goals (+400) – .25 units
3rd period Over 1.5 (-185) – 1 unit
Florida Panthers Team Total Over 3 (+115) – 1 unit
Evan Rodrigues Over ½ assist (+200) – .25 units
Freddie Andersen Under 22.5 saves (-112) – .50 units
Carter Verhaeghe anytime goal (+260) – .10 units
Sam Bennett anytime goal (+270) – .10 units
Eetu Luostarinen Over ½ assist (+275) – .20 units
Eetu Luostarinen anytime goal (+750) – .10 units
Florida Panthers to win in 5 games (+310) – .20 units
Jaccob Slavin Over 2.5 blocked shots (-150) – .50 units
