Hurricanes vs. Panthers prediction: How to bet a Carolina comeback

The Carolina Hurricanes have not done much wrong in the first two games of the Eastern Conference Finals. The Canes have played well at 5-on-5, they’re getting good goaltending and they’ve been defensively sound. Despite all of that, Carolina is in an 0-2 hole in its best-of-7 series with the Florida Panthers and now face the prospect of a must-win game on Monday night on the road.

It’s a tough spot for the Canes to be in considering how well they’ve played in this series and overall in the playoffs, but hockey can be a cruel sport at times and the Hurricanes are learning that lesson at the worst time. And it’s a lesson the Panthers have already served up to another Stanley Cup contender this postseason.

The Toronto Maple Leafs out-chanced Florida in Games 1 and 2 of Round 2, but goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky stood on his head and the Cats were clinical when they got their chances. All of that added up to a 2-0 lead and the Panthers were terrific in Game 3 to essentially end Toronto’s chances to come back.

With their series against Carolina playing out to a similar rhythm as their 4-1 win over Toronto, it’s hard not to just tip your cap and dub the Panthers as a team of destiny, especially since they started this run by coming back from a 3-1 deficit to stun the record-setting Boston Bruins.

But just because it feels like we’ve seen this script before doesn’t mean it’ll have the same ending. Carolina has put itself in a tough spot, but it’d be foolish to count the Canes out of this series.

At the time of writing, the Hurricanes are +325 underdogs to win the Eastern Conference Finals and are +700 to win the Stanley Cup at BetMGM. Those numbers are a little tempting given how this series has played out so far, but there’s a bet out there with much higher upside that relates to a Carolina comeback: Jaccob Slavin to win the Conn Smythe Award at +8000 (BetMGM).

While there’s a very shortlist of candidates to win the Conn Smythe for the other teams left in the tournament — Matthew Tkachuk or Sergei Bobrovsky for Florida, Roope Hintz for Dallas and Jack Eichel for Vegas — it is wide open if Carolina storms back and wins the Stanley Cup.

Sebastian Aho leads the team with 12 points in 13 games, but he’s only got five since Round 1 and has just one goal in his last seven outings. He is the current frontrunner to win the Conn Smythe if the Canes hoist the cup, but his price (+1500) is lukewarm at best.

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The other contenders for the Hurricanes — at least according to bookies — are goaltender Frederik Andersen (+2000) and Brent Burns (+2500). Andersen could be considered a threat to win the award if he backstops a run, but he’s only started seven of Carolina’s 13 games this postseason and it’s not out of the question that he sits a few more contests.

Burns has a great story, he’s a media darling and is searching for his first ring at age 37, but he’s an offensive defenseman and his numbers (2 G, 7 A) don’t leap off the page enough to threaten Aho just yet. That brings us to Slavin.

Without a doubt, Slavin is Carolina’s most important skater. Their No. 1 defenseman, Slavin has built a reputation as one of the game’s elite shutdown rearguards and that has shone through the first two series. And while Slavin has yet to have the same impact in the Eastern Conference Finals that he had in the first two rounds, if the Canes come from behind it’ll likely be because their No. 1 defenseman has taken control of the series.

But it’s not just what Slavin does that makes him a threat to win this award at a huge number. The Hurricanes are a score-by-committee team, so it’s unlikely that any player will post gaudy numbers and run away with the award due to his point totals. That would open the door for a player like Slavin, whose on-ice impact won’t be judged by how many points he produces, but how quiet he keeps players like Matthew Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov.

Slavin’s odds were being offered at a much shorter number — around +2200 — before this series started, but the price has understandably drifted since the Canes have fallen behind. But Carolina is not out of this thing just yet and if they do surprise us with a comeback, you’ll be happy to be holding a ticket on Slavin to win the Conn Smythe at +8000.

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