Posted at 4:00 PM EST. Odds subject to change.

Pinnacle  -½ +123 BET365 -½ +130 Sportsinteraction -½ +125 888Sport -½ +130

Carolina -½ +130 over Florida

7:07 PM EST. Regulation only. The Panthers have won two straight, but they came against the Capitals and Columbus. Those two teams are a combined 9-15 on the season and rank 27th and 31st in the power rankings. We’ll note that the Cats were not the better team against the Caps, and yet they still found a way to get the two points in an overtime win. Oh, by the way, the Jackets took Florida to overtime, too. The Panthers are now 7-4-1, but they have played a weak schedule that ranks just 24th, and they have not fared well against top-10 competition, going 1-2 in those games. The Cats have been feasting on weak teams, and when you play weak teams, you get away will sloppy s**t.

The Hurricanes are a puck-possession monster again this season, as they rank tops in the NHL in that all-important metric. Carolina is 8-5 this season, which is respectable, but if they had a reliable goaltender, there is a great chance we’d be talking about them with the likes of Vegas or Boston at the top of the standings.

The irony here is that the Bruins are not playing consistent hockey at the moment, and it’s their goaltending that is saving them nearly every night. For the ‘Canes, it's the opposite, as they bring their hard hats to work every night. In their 13 games this season, Carolina has only been outplayed once, and that was way back on October 14 in a 6-5 win in Los Angeles. Considering how good the Kings are, we’re not going to be too hard on Carolina for one off night. Carolina’s consistency night in and night out is truly an impressive feat, and it’s one that we value greatly. While there is a chance the Panthers go to overtime for a third night in a row, we aren’t going to be deterred from playing the Hurricanes on the half-puck or 3-way line because the value in that wager is tremendous.

Sherwood

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