RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA – MAY 20: Scott Morrow #56 of the Carolina Hurricanes skates against the Florida Panthers in Game One of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Lenovo Center on May 20, 2025 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
The Florida Panthers look to return home with a 2-0 lead in their Eastern Conference Final matchup against the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Panthers won Game 1, 5-2. Florida scored in every period and matched Carolina's physicality. The Panthers went 2-for-3 on the power play and 3-for-4 on the penalty kill. Florida has now won five of its last six playoff games and has scored five or more goals in three of its last four. Sergei Bobrovsky was named the first star of the game and has allowed two goals or fewer in five straight outings.
The Hurricanes will look to protect home ice in Game 2. They played a solid Game 1 but couldn't capitalize on their scoring chances. Carolina outshot Florida 33-20 and won the faceoff battle 42-28. They managed to score once on the power play, but it wasn't enough. Before this loss, the Canes were riding a three-game playoff winning streak and had been emphasizing defensive hockey. Carolina will aim to slow down the Panthers' red-hot offense.
Spread
- Panthers +1.5 (-232)
- Hurricanes -1.5 (+205)
Moneyline
- Panthers +121
- Hurricanes -124
Total
- OVER 5.5 (+106)
- UNDER 5.5 (-118)
*The above data was collected on May 22, 2025, and may have changed since writing.
Panthers vs Hurricanes Betting Trends
- The total has gone OVER in nine of Florida's last 11 games.
- Florida is 5-1 SU in its last six games.
- Florida is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games against Carolina.
- The total has gone UNDER in four of Carolina's last six games.
- Carolina is 6-2 SU in its last eight games.
- The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Carolina's last 15 games against Florida.
Panthers vs Hurricanes Injury Reports
Florida Panthers
- None
Carolina Hurricanes
- Jalen Chatfield, D - Day-to-day
- Mark Jankowski, C - Day-to-day
- Jesper Fast, RW - Injured Reserve
Panthers vs Hurricanes Predictions and Picks
Florida is ranked 15th in scoring, seventh in goals against, tied for 13th on the power play, and tenth on the penalty kill. Sam Reinhart leads the team in goals and points. He played just okay in the Toronto series and was largely shut down in Game 1 of this series, finishing with a plus/minus of one. Fortunately, Florida has plenty of depth scoring, and Bobrovsky continues his hot streak.
Carolina is ranked ninth in scoring, tenth in goals against, 25th on the power play, and first on the penalty kill. However, none of those strengths showed up in Game 1. Seth Jarvis leads the team in goals and has recorded at least one point in five straight games, including two assists in Game 1. The Hurricanes aren't used to playing from behind in a series, having cruised through two 4-1 series wins earlier this postseason. Now they face a true test in the final four. Both teams have similar playing styles, and Carolina will need to fine-tune their special teams and control the pace of the game.
The Hurricanes did a good job limiting the Panthers' shot total, but they couldn't stop some of Florida's Grade-A chances. Before the loss, Carolina had been playing well on both sides of the puck and knows what adjustments need to be made. It will be another physical game, and the Canes will look to get consistent scoring throughout.
