The Carolina Hurricanes face a crucial home game against the Florida Panthers in Game 5 of the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs Eastern Conference Final this Wednesday. Carolina managed to avoid elimination by securing a key 3-0 shutout win in Game 4, but they still find themselves trailing the series 3-1. The puck drop for Game 5 is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET at PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina.
According to the latest betting odds, Florida is favored on the money line at -118 (requiring a $118 bet to win $100), while the home team, Carolina, is the underdog at -102 (bet $102 to win $100). The total goals over/under is set at 5.5. On the puck line, the Panthers are -1.5 with odds of +206. SportsLine`s sophisticated projection model, which simulates each NHL game 10,000 times, has demonstrated strong performance during the 2025 NHL playoffs. Heading into the second week of the conference finals, the model holds a combined record of 80-56 on its top-rated puck-line and over/under betting recommendations, resulting in a profit of over $1,600 for $100 bettors.
Carolina had a solid track record of winning and covering the puck line in all their previous home playoff games before this series against Florida. A contributing factor to their struggles in the first two home games was goaltender Frederik Andersen, who allowed five goals in each contest. However, Andersen bounced back impressively in Game 4, recording a 20-save shutout. Based on its simulations, the SportsLine model forecasts the Hurricanes will cover the puck line in Game 5 in over 70% of scenarios.
The total number of goals has exceeded 5.5 twice in this series so far. Game 2, a 5-0 victory for the Panthers, saw the total land exactly at 5, narrowly missing the over. For Florida`s netminder, Sergei Bobrovsky, the over on total goals has occurred in three of his last five starts in the 2025 NHL playoffs.
