Panthers vs Hurricanes

Brad Marchand may be dragging Florida’s injury-riddled forward group into every game, but this rematch still sets up slightly better for Carolina on the moneyline at home. The Panthers have ripped off seven wins in their last nine despite missing Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, and Dmitry Kulikov, yet they just got thumped 6-2 by St. Louis and sit only 7-7-0 on the road, while Carolina is a much sturdier 12-7-2 at Lenovo Center with a power play that has scored in four straight. The Hurricanes have dropped two in a row in ugly fashion after a five-game heater, but they’ve carried play at five-on-five in both, and this is a classic “response” spot in front of their own crowd, even with Seth Jarvis, Jaccob Slavin, and Jordan Martinook sidelined. Sergei Bobrovsky’s five-game win streak and his history of frustrating this club in the playoffs narrow the gap, but Carolina’s deeper, healthier top six (Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov, Nikolaj Ehlers, Taylor Hall) plus that resurgent power play give the Canes a small but real edge to grab two points in regulation or beyond. At a price of -155, the edge in win probability still outweighs the juice enough for an A- grade on Carolina’s moneyline. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 23/12/2025 09:38am

The total of 6 looks a touch light for a matchup that just produced seven goals in a 4-3 Panthers shootout comeback and was followed by Carolina losing 6-4 in Tampa and Florida getting drilled 6-2 by St. Louis. With Barkov (elite two-way center) and Kulikov out on the Panthers’ defensive side, and Slavin (Carolina’s shutdown anchor) plus Jarvis and Martinook missing for the Canes, both teams are playing without key defensive pieces that normally help suppress chances. Carolina’s power play is cooking with goals in four straight and nine in their last nine games, while Florida’s depth scoring—Marchand already at 20 goals, Sam Reinhart at 19 with strong splits against Carolina this season, and consistent production from Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Bennett—has kept their attack dangerous even without Tkachuk. Goaltending is volatile here: Bobrovsky has won five straight but is still carrying a middling save percentage, and the Hurricanes are likely to ride either Brandon Bussi (coming off his first post-regulation loss) or Pyotr Kochetkov, both of whom have been good but not airtight. Given the recent high-event profile on both sides, the injuries on the back end, and the way these teams forecheck aggressively and draw penalties, the Over 6 at -105 earns a solid but more variance-prone B grade. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 23/12/2025 09:38am

Even while leaning Hurricanes on the moneyline, the puckline value tilts toward Florida +1.5 given how these teams actually play against each other. The Panthers just erased a 3-0 third-period deficit to beat Carolina 4-3 in a shootout, Bobrovsky has allowed three or fewer in four straight, and this group has already authored multiple three-goal comeback wins this month, which speaks to both their offensive depth and their refusal to go away quietly. On the other side, Carolina’s ability to run away on the scoreboard is compromised by the loss of Jarvis (top offensive driver) and Slavin (their best transition and matchup defender), forcing more minutes onto secondary pieces and prospects like Bradly Nadeau and Jackson Blake. Florida’s forward core—Marchand, Reinhart, Verhaeghe, Bennett, Evan Rodrigues, plus a healthy supporting cast from the current ESPN-listed roster—remains good enough to trade chances with Carolina even with Barkov and Tkachuk unavailable, and Paul Maurice’s structure usually keeps games within a goal late. The downside is price: -210 is expensive for a dog puckline and caps the long-term value, so despite a strong likelihood that Florida keeps this within one in regulation or drags it to overtime, the bet grades out as a B- rather than something higher. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 23/12/2025 09:38am