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The Carolina Hurricanes will try to even up the playing field on home ice when they host the Florida Panthers in Game 2 of the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs Eastern Conference Final on Thursday. The defending Stanley Cup champions were road warriors in Game 1, as they defeated the host Hurricanes 5-2. Puck drop for Game 2 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, NC, is at 8 p.m. ET.

Carolina is a -134 favorite on the money line (risk $134 to win $100) in the latest Hurricanes vs. Panthers odds, while Florida is a +112 underdog (risk $100 to win $112). The over/under for total goals scored is 5.5, and the Hurricanes are -1.5 (+186) on the puck line. Before making any Panthers vs. Hurricanes picks, be sure to see the NHL predictions from SportsLine's proven model. You can also see the model's Hurricanes vs. Panthers Game 2 prop bets.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NHL game 10,000 times. It enters the conference finals of the 2025 NHL playoffs a combined 80-56 on top-rated NHL puck-line and over/under betting picks, returning more than $1,600 for $100 players. Anybody following at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen strong returns.

Here are its best bets for Hurricanes vs. Panthers on Thursday:

  • Panthers +1.5 puck line (-235)
  • Over 5.5 goals (+105)

Panthers +1.5 on the puck line (-235)

Florida has covered the puck line in five of their last six playoff games. Tuesday's Game 1 was also the third game in the last four meetings between these teams where the Panthers have topped the Hurricanes by a healthy margin. The SportsLine model projects Florida to cover the puck line in well over 70% of simulations. 

You've seen one of the best bets for Hurricanes vs. Panthers on Thursday. Now, get picks for every game from the model that enters the conference finals of the 2025 NHL playoffs a combined 80-56 on top-rated NHL puck-line and over/under betting picks.

Over 5.5 goals (+105)

The Over has hit in two of the last three games for Carolina and in three of the last four for Florida. Hurricanes netminder Frederik Andersen still has a sparkling 1.74 goals-against average through 10 playoff starts, but gave up five goals on 20 shots in Game 1. Meanwhile, the Panthers have outscored their opponent 11-3 over their last two games.

Over 5.5 goals to be scored is +105 at DraftKings Sportsbook, where new users can get $300 in bonus bets with the latest DraftKings promo code.

Want more NHL picks for Thursday? Matt Severance is SportsLine's No. 1 NHL expert, posting a 145-69-8 roll on NHL sides picks, returning over $4,000 for $100 players. See his best bet for Thursday at SportsLine.