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GameDay Caterwaul: Florida Panthers at Carolina Hurricanes

Panthers ​(26-9-4 56P) at Hurricanes ​(25-9-3 53P)

  • WHEN: 7:00 p.m. ET
  • WHERE: PNC Arena, Raleigh, NC
  • ON THE TUBE: Bally Sports Florida, Bally Sports South
  • ON THE DIAL: 560 WQAM (D/B), 640 WMEN (PB), 1370 WAXE (TC), Thunder 100.3 (Keys)
  • SOCIALS: #FlaPanthers, #LetsGoCanes, #FLAvsCAR, @LitterBoxCats, LBC FaceBook
  • ENEMY INTEL: Canes Country
  • FLA IN SEASON SERIES: Game 5 of 8 (1-1-2)
  • LAST MEETING: @CAR 4, FLA 2 – (Recap) – 3/7/2021
  • NEXT MEETING: April 8, 2021
  • PROJECTED STARTERS: Bobrovsky (15-5-2 .910/ 2.79 0SO) vs Mrazek (3-1-0 .968/ 0.74 3SO)
  • PLAYER STATS: Florida / Carolina/

Scouting Report

Both the Florida Panthers and the Carolina Hurricanes are coming off shutouts. These are two of the top five teams in the entire league, but the ‘Canes might have the edge. Petr Mrazek returned for the first time in over two months and posted a shutout for Carolina. The Hurricanes have managed to be one of the best teams in the league without their starter; as soon as he returned, he stopped 28 of 28 shots and helped lift them to a 1-0 victory. Carolina has two games in hand on Florida in the standings, so this head-to-head becomes even more important for playoff implications. If Mrazek gets the start, he should contribute to another Canes win, he is easily the best goaltender on either team and he’s posting an incredible 0.74 GAA and a .968 SVP with three shutouts in five games. He’s playing on another level despite missing such a large chunk of the season.

Carolina is 12-2-3 at home this season. Only losing two games in regulation at home is extremely impressive and should reassure bettors that this team is difficult to beat. If it goes to overtime, the Hurricanes are 8-3 overall this season in extra minutes and 4-1 in the shootout. The Panthers are 7-4 in overtime and are 1-2 when it comes to a shootout. The Hurricanes have a better chance of winning in regulation and overtime. They have the best powerplay in the league, successful 29.1 percent of the time. They also have the second best faceoff percentage winning 54.5 percent of draws. They should control the majority of the possession and special teams could be the difference maker.

Full preview at Pickswise

Tuesday in the Central (Standings/Panthers Playoff Chances):

  • TAMPA BAY (26-10-2 54P) at COLUMBUS (14-18-8 36P) 7 p.m.
  • NASHVILLE (20-18-1 41P) at DETROIT (13-22-5 31P) 7;30 p.m.
  • DALLAS (13-13-10 36P) at CHICAGO (17-17-5 39P) 8 p.m. ESPN+/

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