Florida Panthers vs Carolina Hurricanes: Game 1 preview, predictions and odds | Stanley Cup Playoffs Conference Finals, May 20, 2025

The Florida Panthers are on the road to play the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Tuesday, May 20 at 8 p.m. ET.

Florida beat Toronto in seven games, while Carolina beat Washington in five games.

Panthers vs Hurricanes: Head-to-head & key stats

Florida went 2-1 against Carolina this season
Florida allowed 2.71 goals per game
The Hurricanes averaged 3.2 goals per game
The Panthers went 20-19-2 on the road
Carolina allowed 2.8 goals per game
Florida averaged 3 goals per game this season
The Hurricanes are 31-9-1 at home

Florida Panthers vs Carolina Hurricanes: Preview

Florida blew out Toronto in Game 7, 6-1, on Sunday and now plays Game 1 just two days later. In the playoffs, the Panthers are led by Eetu Luostarinen and Brad Marchand, who have 12 points, Sam Reinhart has 11 points, Aleksander Barkov and Anton Lundell have 10 points, and Sam Bennett has 9 points.

The Panthers will start Sergei Bobrovsky, who went 33-19-2 with a 2.44 GAA and a .906 SV%. In his career against Carolina, he's 15-16-1 with a 2.36 GAA and a .924 SV%. In the playoffs, Bobrovsky is 8-4 with a 2.31 GAA and a .901 SV%.

Carolina, meanwhile, advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals, winning both series in five games. The Hurricanes will start Frederik Andersen, who went 13-8-1 with a 2.50 GAA and a .899 SV%. In his career against Florida, he's 12-4-3 with a 2.72 GAA and a .911 SV%. In the playoffs, he's 7-2 with a 1.36 GAA and a .937 SV%.

Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis have led the Hurricanes in points in the playoffs with 10. Andrei Svechnikov has 9 points, Shayne Gostisbehere has 7 points, and Taylor Hall has 6 points.

Panthers vs Hurricanes: Odds & Prediction

Florida is a +105 underdog while Carolina is a -125 favorite, and the over/under is set at 5.5 goals.

The Panthers have a quick turnaround after winning Game 7 on Sunday night. Florida had to travel to Carolina, which had been well-rested after winning their series in five games.

The Hurricanes are a tough team to play against as they control the puck, and Florida is in a tough spot. Look for Andersen to continue his success as Carolina will get a big win to take a 1-0 series lead at home.

Prediction: Hurricanes 3, Panthers 1.

Panthers vs Hurricanes: Betting Tips

Tip 1: Carolina ML (-125)

Tip 2: Under 5.5 goals (-130)

Tip 3: Sam Reinhart 3+ shots on goal (-130)

About the author

Cole is an NHL, NFL and College Sports reporter at Sportskeeda with over 7 years of experience writing for publications like CBC, USA Today, SMG, BJPENN, Sherdog and SB Nation.

An NHL fan his whole life, Cole played rep hockey in Canada from age 5 until 17 and grew up rooting for Martin St. Louis and the Tampa Bay Lightning. His all-time favorite players are Vincent Lecavalier and Steven Stamkos, while Jon Cooper is his favorite coach of all time.

Cole attended Sheridan College and received his journalism degree in 2019. After decades of watching and reporting, he considers his knowledge of sports as his primary strength. He ensures that the same story has been reported by at least two reputed reporters before creating it.

Cole enjoys playing golf and spending time with friends and family when not reporting breaking stories. His favorite sports moment is from the 2010 Olympics, when Sidney Crosby scored the golden goal in overtime to beat Team USA for the gold medal.

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Edited by Cole Shelton