The Florida Panthers and the Carolina Hurricanes meet in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final in the Stanley Cup Playoffs Wednesday at Lenovo Center in Raleigh, North Carolina. Puck drop is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET (TNT / truTV / Max). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s NHL odds around the Panthers vs. Hurricanes odds and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.

Series: Panthers lead 3-1

The Hurricanes were facing the broom in Game 4, but they avoided the sweep on the road in South Florida. That snapped an NHL record 15-game losing skid in the conference finals round, too.

Carolina won 3-0, as Hurricanes G Frederik Andersen was back after a 1-game absence, posting 20 saves for the shutout. C Logan Stankoven opened the scoring midway through the first period to make it 1-0. That’s how it stayed, as Panthers G Sergei Bobrovsky allowed just the single goal on 26 shots. However, Cs Sebastian Aho and Jordan Staal tacked on empty-net goals to send the series back to Raleigh for Game 5.

More on Aho, as he was a man possessed in Game 4. In fact, the Canes had the 26 shots on Bobrovsky, with Aho taking 7 of them. No other Carolina player had more than 2 SOG.

Panthers C Aleksander Barkov, who had 2 goals in the third period in Game 3, was scoreless with a minus-3 rating and just 1 SOG in Game 4. D Seth Jones also took a minus-3 in the loss, although he was good for 1 SOG, 1 blocked shot and 3 hits in 21:40 of TOI.

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Panthers at Hurricanes odds

Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 6:23 a.m. ET.

Moneyline (ML): Panthers -125 (bet $125 to win $100) | Hurricanes +105 (bet $100 to win $105)Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Panthers -1.5 (+200) | Hurricanes +1.5 (-250)Over/Under (O/U): 5.5 (O: +105 | U: -125)Panthers at Hurricanes projected goalies

Sergei Bobrovsky (11-5-0, 2.05 GAA, .914 SV%, 3 SO – postseason) vs. Frederik Andersen (8-4-0, 1.84 GAA, .914 SV%, 2 SO – postseason)

Bobrovsky coughed up 4 or more goals in the first 3 games of the Toronto series, but he has been on fire since. In the past 8 playoff outings since Game 4 in Toronto, Bob has allowed 2 or fewer goals in each outing, winning 6 of those starts. However, he is just 2-2 in 4 elimination games in these playoffs.

Andersen was benched for Game 3, but coach Rod Brind’Amour found that Pyotr Kochetkov wasn’t any better. He switched back to Andersen, and that was the proper move. Andersen stopped all 20 shots he faced for his second shutout in the past 6 games, lowering his GAA to 1.84.

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Panthers at Hurricanes picks and predictionsPrediction

Hurricanes 3, Panthers 2

The HURRICANES (+105) are worth a look as short ‘dogs on home ice. The Carolina fans likely never expected to see the Canes again after they were dusted in the first 2 games by a combined 10-2.

With their fans at full throat, Carolina with its backs to the wall, and having not yet played its best at home, we should see the Canes play well in Raleigh. They’re fighting to extend their season at least 1 more game, and we should definitely get a Game 6 in South Florida, although this one could go long into the night.

The Hurricanes +1.5 (-250) are way too expensive, costing you 2½ times your potential return if you’d like a little bit of insurance. If you like Carolina, just bet it straight up. Taking the underdog at that kind of price is not a recommended betting strategy.

PASS.

UNDER 5.5 (-125) is the lean, but go with a half-unit play at best.

We finally saw Carolina play with some desperation in Game 4, and the Under cashed for the second time in the past 3 games. The losing team has been blanked in each of those games which saw the Under cash. We might not get another shutout, but expect plenty of defense, physicality, hitting and good goaltending in Game 5.

For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

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