Hurricanes vs Panthers Prediction & Picks (April 13): Who Wins Rubber Match at FLA Live Arena?

The 2022-23 NHL regular season has reached its final days, but there are still important matchups to be played. One goes down on Thursday, April 13 as the Carolina Hurricanes take on the Florida Panthers. Carolina and Florida have already split the first two encounters of the three-game season series, making it interesting to see who’ll win the Hurricanes vs Panthers rubber match tonight.

First place in Metro comes down to Thursday. CAR leads NJ by one point. Hurricanes at FLA, NJ at WASH. Tiebreaker belongs to Devils

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) April 12, 2023

The Hurricanes finally put a three-game skid behind them in their last effort, defeating the Detroit Red Wings 4-1 on Tuesday. Goaltender Antti Raanta stopped 20-of-21 shots in the victory while four different Carolina players found the back of the net.

Meanwhile, the Panthers had their winning streak snapped at six straight games with Monday’s 2-1 overtime loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. While the game looked like it was going to a shootout, Leafs captain John Tavares scored with less than 22 seconds remaining in OT to hand the Panthers the loss.

Tonight’s Hurricanes vs Panthers collision is one you won’t want to miss. Your friends at Betting News have gathered BetOnline Sportsbook’s latest odds on the game, as well as a prediction and best bet for the night.

Carolina Hurricanes vs Florida Panthers Matchup Information and Betting Odds

Matchup Information

• Matchup: Carolina Hurricanes (51-21-9, 23-11-6 Away) vs. Florida Panthers (42-31-8, 23-12-5 Home)
• Venue & Location: FLA Live Arena (Sunrise, Florida)
• Date: Thursday, April 13, 2023
• Game Time: 7 p.m. Eastern Time
• Hurricanes vs Panthers TV Info: ESPN+

Hurricanes vs Panthers Odds

Game odds are via BetOnline as of Thursday, April 13 at 8:12 a.m. ET. Odds from other top online sportsbooks may also be mentioned in this article.

Spread

• Carolina Hurricanes +1.5 (-255)
• Florida Panthers -1.5 (+205)

Over/Under

• Over 6.5 Goals (-110)
• Under 6.5 Goals (-110)

Moneyline

• Carolina Hurricanes -108
• Florida Panthers -113

Hurricanes vs Panthers Betting Trends

• Carolina is 1-5 straight up in its last six games against Florida.
• Florida is 5-2 straight up in its last seven games against the Metropolitan Division.
• The total has hit the under in five of Carolina’s last six road games.
• The total has hit the over in six of Florida’s last nine home games.
• The total has hit the over in six of the last night Carolina-Florida matchups played at FLA Live Arena.

Hurricanes vs Panthers Game Preview

Even though the Hurricanes and Panthers have both qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, that doesn’t change how important a victory is tonight.

The Hurricanes currently sit atop the Metropolitan Division with 111 points but have yet to clinch the division crown. They’re only one point ahead of the New Jersey Devils, who have a favorable matchup tonight against the already-eliminated Washington Capitals. A victory would help the Hurricanes avoid a first-round matchup against the red-hot New York Rangers.

As for the Panthers, they occupy the Eastern Conference’s second wild card spot. Unless they win tonight, they’ll be locked into an opening series against the Boston Bruins — the team that just set the NHL record for wins and points in a season.

Nevertheless, the two previous Hurricanes vs Panthers tilts this season showed how even this series is. Florida opened things up with a 3-0 victory at FLA Live Center back in November before Carolina won 4-0 on home ice just over one month later.

Unfortunately for the Hurricanes, games in Sunrise, FL haven’t been kind to them recently. They’ve lost three straight road games against the Panthers, getting outscored 12-5 over that stretch

From sunset to Sunrise ✈️ pic.twitter.com/oGq6peyipJ

— x – Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) April 13, 2023

Reverse that trend won’t be easy, though. The Hurricanes have also lost four of their last five away games this season with the only victory in that span coming against the lowly Montreal Canadiens.

While the Panthers haven’t been perfect in their own backyard, they do have points in nine of their last 11 home games along with seven victories. They nearly overcame the Maple Leafs a few nights ago and will look to prove that effort wasn’t a fluke.

If Florida is to continue its home success, likely starting goaltender Alex Lyon (per Daily Faceoff) must weather the storm. Fortunately, he’s been rock solid lately, going 6-0-1 in his last seven starts with a 1.55 goals-against average, .952 save percentage and one shutout.

It’s looking like the Hurricanes will turn back to Raanta as their starter. Although the veteran netminder is 16-1-1 with a 2.11 GAA and four shutouts in his last 20 appearances, he’s had a sub-.900 SV% in five of his last nine road games.

The Panthers’ power play — which is 8-of-25 (32.0%) over the last seven games — gives them another advantage tonight. The Hurricanes have been awful on the man advantage in recent weeks, only scoring three times on 27 power-play opportunities (11.1%).

Hurricanes vs Panthers Prediction and Picks

Hurricanes vs Panthers Prediction: Panthers 4, Hurricanes 2

Hurricanes vs Panthers: Panthers ML (Best Value: -113 at BetOnline) & Aaron Ekblad Over 0.5 Points (Best Value: +104 at BetOnline)

Although the Hurricanes are one of the NHL’s top teams, the Panthers are playing their best hockey of the campaign. The latter is getting goals and saves when they count the most in recent weeks, whereas Carolina is struggling to even win on the road. Motivated by a chance to avoid the Bruins in a first-round playoff matchup, I see Florida picking up the important win.

As for an interesting player prop, take the over on Aaron Ekblad’s 0.5-point total. The Panthers alternate captain has been red-hot, tallying eight points in his last eight games. While he didn’t record a point against the Maple Leafs, he’ll step up tonight due to how important a victory is. With three points in his last three outings at FLA Live Arena, back Ekblad to tally a point.

Other Carolina vs Florida Betting Resources

• Hurricanes vs Panthers Consensus Picks, Score Projections & Betting Stats