Free Picks: Florida Panthers vs. Carolina Hurricanes

Patrick Trudeau
By: Patrick Trudeau
04/06/2021
NHL Free Picks – Best Bets of the Week
Hurricanes vs Panthers NHL
Florida Panthers vs. Carolina Hurricanes, NHL, PNC Arena

The Panthers enter their next contest against Carolina on a winning streak. While that is certainly impressive, I am interested in how many goals will be scored this season. While the Hurricanes have a staggering defense, their explosive offense leads me to believe goal scoring will be easy on Tuesday night.

The Panthers and Hurricanes have proven everyone wrong.

In a division with giants, Carolina and Florida are proving to the rest of the NHL that the road to the Stanley Cup may go through their respective franchises. Two top teams, Florida and Carolina are big fish in a small pond.

And Tuesday night, we get to see these monsters go head-to-head.

Despite the Panthers being a top team this season, they have struggled against Carolina. The Panthers are 1-1-2 against the Hurricanes in the regular season, mustering 11 goals in 4 games.

Of course, the Panthers were dealt a huge blow thanks to Aaron Ekblad’s injury. Not only has that impacted the Panthers’ daily NHL odds, but it has impacted their Stanley Cup odds as well.

Both teams have had impressive winning streaks this season. Carolina won 8 in a row earlier in the year, while the Panthers are riding a solid 6-game win streak.

This is a match-up between Florida’s offense and Carolina’s defense. The Panthers have quickly become an elite group of offensive snipers, ranked 3rd in total goals. As for the Hurricanes, one of their biggest strengths is their defense.

I think it is only fitting for this free NHL pick that I focus on total goals. I am confident in this game hitting the over. While the value isn’t that great (-278, 888Sport) you need to go with what the best NHL bet is – and for this game I see more than 4.5 goals being scored.

While Carolina has a solid defense, they also score several goals themselves. Florida’s defense is in the middle of the pack. Not excellent but not a pushover, either. Florida gives up their fair share of goals and their head-to-head contests against Carolina have not been low scoring.

I trust Carolina and Florida’s offensive talents more than Carolina’s defense. This could be a low-scoring game (think 3-2), but that is enough for the over to cash.

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FREE PICK: Total Goals OVER 4.5
-278

Stats

  • Carolina is 8-1-1 in last 10 against Florida.
  • The Hurricanes O/U record this season is 18-16-3
  • The Panthers average 2.33 goals per game in last 3 versus Carolina.
  • Florida’s O/U is 10-7-1 on the road this season.

have always wanted to be a writer and sports are my favorite thing in the world, so I combined the two to make a career. I have been a long-time gambler and sports betting writer that isn't afraid to look at the underdog or specials. I am covering the NHL, MLB and NCAA Football for BetPicks.ca and am a huge fan of both sports - as well as many others. Follow me on Twitter (@Patrick_Trudeau) so we can talk betting, sports, or why ketchup DOES belong on Poutine.

NHL Eastern Metropolitan

 

TeamWLOT%
1Carolina54208.707
2NY Rangers52246.671
3Pittsburgh462511.628
4Washington442612.610
5NY Islanders373510.512
6Columbus37387.494
7New Jersey27469.384
8Philadelphia254611.372

 

NHL Eastern Atlantic

TeamWLOT%
1Florida58186.744
2Toronto54217.701
3Tampa Bay51238.671
4Boston51265.652
5Buffalo323911.457
6Detroit324010.451
7Ottawa33427.445
8Montréal224911.335

 

NHL - Western Central

TeamWLOT%
1Colorado56197.726
2Minnesota53227.689
3St Louis492211.665
4Dallas46306.598
5Nashville45307.591
6Winnipeg393211.543
7Chicago284212.415
8Arizona25507.348

 

NHL - Western Pacific

TeamWLOT%
1Calgary502111.677
2Edmonton49276.634
3Los Angeles442711.604
4Vegas43318.573
5Vancouver403012.561
6San Jose323713.470
7Anaheim313714.463
8Seattle27496.366

 

2021-22 Season
Regular season beginsOctober 12
All-Star & Winter Games breakFebruary 3-22
Trade deadlineMarch 21
Final day of regular seasonApril 29
Stanley Cup Playoffs beginMay 2
Last possible day for PlayoffsJune 30
2022 NHL DraftJuly 7