The Florida Panthers can advance to the Stanley Cup Final with a win over the visiting Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday night.
Florida leads the best-of-seven series 3-0 after a 1-0 victory on Monday and can end the series on home ice Wednesday. If the Hurricanes force a Game 5, it’ll be played on Friday night in Carolina.
The Panthers are -115 favourites on the moneyline in Game 4 and the total is set at 5.5 goals.
Hurricanes vs. Panthers odds
| Hurricanes Moneyline Odds | -105 |
| Panthers Moneyline Odds | -115 |
| Series odds | Panthers -1700, Hurricanes +1000 |
| Over/Under | 5.5 goals (over +100, under -120) |
| Time/Date | Wednesday, May 24, 8:00 p.m. ET |
| TV | Broadcast: Sportsnet/CBC (How to watch the NHL in Canada?) |
All odds courtesy of 
Previous games in series
Carolina took two of the three regular season meetings between the teams and outscored Florida 10-7 in those games. However, the Panthers have rattled off three close wins to take a stranglehold in the series. All three games in the series have played under the total.
| Date | Home Team | Result | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 22, 2023 (Game 3) | Florida | 1-0 FLA (-105) | 5.5 (under) |
| May 20, 2023 (Game 2) | Carolina | 2-1 FLA OT (+132) | 5.5 (under) |
| May 18, 2023 (Game 1) | Carolina | 3-2 FLA OT (+128) | 5.5 (under) |
About the Hurricanes (8-6 SU, 5-9 ATS, 7-6-1 o/u)
The Hurricanes are knocking at the door but they just can’t seem to get over the hump, again. Carolina has dropped 11 straight conference final games despite winning seven playoff rounds over the past five seasons.
Carolina has 56.7% of the shot attempts in the series, 58.9% of the expected goals, and 54.9% of the high-danger chances, but that’s resulted in zero wins. In fact, the Hurricanes have hurled 135 shots at the Florida goal, but have only scored three times!
This team is rightfully frustrated, but all the Hurricanes can do is keep firing shots on goal and get as much traffic in front of the net as possible.
Player to watch: Sebastian Aho
After scoring a team-leading 36 goals during the regular season, Aho has been held goalless in five straight games going back to the second round against New Jersey. He leads the team with 12 points (five goals, seven assists) in the postseason, and will have to find a way to right the ship in Game 4.
About the Panthers (11-4 SU, 11-4 ATS, 5-10 o/u)
The Panthers are just one win away from advancing to the Stanley Cup Final for the second time in franchise history and the first time since 1996.
Back in 1996, John Vanbiesbrouck caught fire in the Florida goal, posting a 2.25 GAA and .932 SV% in 22 playoff contests. The narrative is much the same this time around with Sergei Bobrovsky, whose 132 saves in the series so far is the most recorded by a goaltender in NHL history in the first three games of a conference final or semifinal.
Bobrovsky, a two-time Vezina winner, has posted 10 wins in his last 11 playoff games and has played only one contest during that span where his save percentage fell below .900. His save percentage over his last 11 appearances is an incredible .944 and he’s stopped 110 of the last 111 shots he’s faced. From an analytics perspective, Bobrovsky’s goals saved above expected rate is a crazy 19.5, according to MoneyPuck. The next best goalie this postseason is Igor Shesterkin at 8.8. Wow.
Player to watch: Matthew Tkachuk
The Florida forward has recorded a point in each of the three games in the series and notched the overtime game-winning goals in the first two games of the series. He’s +180 to score, +150 to record two or more points, and -160 to record an assist.
Total: Under 5.5 goals
Probable goaltenders
Carolina: Frederik Andersen (5-2, 1.58 GAA, .937 SV%) – unconfirmed.
Florida: Sergei Bobrovsky (10-2, 2.15 GAA, .935 SV%) – unconfirmed.
Notable injuries
Panthers forward Aleksander Barkov (lower body) is expected to play after taking a hip check and leaving Game 3.
Carolina has no new injuries to report.
Betting trends
- The under is 6-1 in the past seven meetings.
- The underdog is 4-1 in the past five meetings.
- The under is 4-0 in Carolina’s last four games.
- The under is 8-0 in Florida’s last eight games.
- Florida is 10-1 in its last 11 games.
Wagers to consider
- There are far too many trends suggesting this will be another tight, low-scoring game. Play the under 5.5 goals (-120).
- Tied after regulation: +280. All three games in this series have been decided by a single goal. Game 1 required four overtime periods to be decided and the teams needed extra time again in Game 2.
- Sam Bennett over 0.5 power play points: +300. Bennett has an assist in three straight games and four of the last five. He’s also notched a point on the power play in back-to-back games.
