Head-to-Head: Carolina Hurricanes vs Florida Panthers
| Carolina Hurricanes | Head-to-Head | Florida Panthers |
|---|
Rod Brind’Amour | Head Coach | Paul Maurice |
8-2-1 (3rd in Metropolitan Division) | Standing | 7-5-1 (5th in Atlantic Division) |
| Leaders |
|
Martin Necas (17) | Points | Matthew Tkachuk (17) |
Andrei Svechnikov (8) | Goals | Carter Verhaeghe (8) |
Martin Necas (10) | Assists | Matthew Tkachuk (12) |
Brady Skjei (8) | +/- | Josh Mahura (9) |
Brett Burns (4.25) | Shots (Per Game) | Matthew Tkachuk (5.25) |
Carolina Hurricanes vs Florida Panthers Predictions
The Carolina Hurricanes will travel south to face the Florida Panthers in the game of the day.
The Hurricanes are building off last season’s success and have 17 points through their first 11 games. They may be sitting behind the New York Islanders and New Jersey Devils in their division, but they could overtake them with a few wins in a row. Carolina has an impressive offense and shoots 37 times a game. Any time a team shoots upwards of 35 times a game, they create problems for their opponents.
The Hurricanes have seen impressive production from Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov, and Martin Necas. Aho has been a top-ten player in the NHL for the past four seasons and continues to be elite this year. The 25-year-old has 15 points (seven goals, eight assists) and is playing almost 20 minutes a game. Svechnikov is even younger than Aho.
He is only 22 years old but has already cemented himself as a top winger. The 2018 second-overall pick leads the Hurricanes with eight goals. As good as Aho and Svechnikov are, Martin Necas has been the most impressive player of the three. Necas is in his fourth season with the Hurricanes but is only starting to make a significant impact this year. The right-winger leads all Hurricanes with 17 points. Necas’ emergence could not have come at a better time. The 23-year-old’s play has been vital to the Hurricanes’ early success.
I will continue to say this all season. The Hurricanes have one of the best goaltending duos in the NHL. Frederik Andersen is the primary goaltender, and Antti Raanta is the backup. Even though Raanta plays much less than Andersen, he sometimes outperforms him. This electric duo only gives up 2.83 goals per game and has only given up more than three goals in one game this year.
The Panthers were the best regular season team last year but have had a tougher go of it this year. They are playing well but are yet to go on a winning streak.
The Panthers have many efficient players but will be without their best in this game. Matthew Tkachuk will serve the final game of his two-game suspension today after poking Los Angeles Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick in the face with his stick. This is a huge loss for Florida, but Panthers fans can still expect productive performances from Carter Verhaeghe, Brandon Montour, and Alexsander Barkov.
Verhaeghe leads the Panthers with eight goals, Montour leads Florida with his TOI of 26:27, and Barkov plays over 23 minutes a game and has eight assists. These players will need to pick up the slack to make up for Matthew Tkackuk’s absence.
The Panthers have a decent goaltending duo, but they are not as good as what the Hurricanes have to offer. Sergei Bobrovsky plays the majority of the time. However, he has been a step slow since last season. However, he is likely going through a slump and will return to form soon. Luckily, Panthers backup Spencer Knight has been excellent in this time. Knight has started five games and has a 4-1-0 record.
The Hurricanes have a healthier squad and better goaltenders. I recommend betting on their moneyline.
Why Might the Carolina Hurricanes Win?
The Hurricanes are barely the underdogs, but they will win if they shoot a lot and play tough defense.
The Hurricanes have not been shy about shooting the puck this year. As I mentioned above, they are shooting 37 times a game. Carolina needs to continue to shoot as much as possible tonight. They will likely face a struggling Sergei Bobrovsky in net for the Panthers and can run up the lead if they overwhelm him with shots.
Even though the Panthers will not have Matthew Tkachuk tonight, they will have the rest of their goal-scorers. The Hurricanes' defensemen cannot become complacent and have to play as if Tkachuk is in the game.
Why Might the Florida Panthers Win?
The Panthers will win this game if they use the home crowd to their advantage and score a power play goal.
The Panthers must let their crowd give them energy and help push them to victory. Their fans may be the difference between a win and a loss.
Florida has the third-worst power play unit in the league. They are converting less than 13% of their power play opportunities. It is not all bad news, though. The Panthers are averaging over four power plays a game and will likely have many opportunities to score with a man advantage tonight.
Hurricanes Key Players: (D) Brent Burns
Brent Burns is a talented defenseman but cannot find the back of the net this season. Burns has two goals but has taken an absurd 51 shots.
Burns has to be smarter with the puck and take better shots. If the shot is not there, he can always pass to one of his teammates.
Panthers Key Player: (C) Sam Reinhart
Sam Reinhart is playing almost 21 minutes a game and only has two goals and three assists. Reinhart must play better and create more offense.
Reinhart is in a slump right now, but it must end tonight. The Panthers need him to return to form and help his team.
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