Carolina Hurricanes vs Florida Panthers Game 1: Preview, lines, predictions, where and how to watch - 2023 NHL Eastern Conference Final

The Eastern Conference Final finally kicks off on Thursday. In Game 1, the Carolina Hurricanes host the Florida Panthers with the winner of the series advancing to play for the Stanley Cup.

The Hurricanes are coming off beating the New Jersey Devils in five games while the Panthers beat the Toronto Maple Leafs in five games as well.

Game 1 is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET on Thursday.

How to watch the Carolina Hurricanes vs. Florida Panthers

TV: TNT, Sportsnet, CBC, TVAS

The Florida Panthers have been the Cinderella story this season as the Panthers finished eighth in the East and barely made the playoffs. Florida then stunned the Boston Bruins in Game 7 and then ran through the Toronto Maple Leafs which gives them confidence ahead of their series against the Hurricanes.

"A deeper playoff run will draw attention to the unique players that we have that you can come and enjoy watching play," Panthers coach Paul Maurice said.

"What happens in these runs, it's not just about getting excited because of the spectacle of playoff hockey. You want to get the connection to the home crowd too. There'll be a whole bunch of people who are going to buy Sam Bennett jerseys based on what they saw. And then I can say that about a bunch of different guys."

Carolina, meanwhile, has been dealing with plenty of injuries but has played well as a team, and the Hurricanes know this run is great for their market.

"Just any time you win, the further you go, the more interest you get in the market," Carolina general manager Don Waddell said.

"I've always said the best way to grow the game is to get people interested. By just our attendance record this year, more people, whether they were raised here, from here or from someplace else, are becoming Hurricanes fans. We're in the process.

"When you've got excitement around the community, you've got to try to take advantage of it and we're spending a lot of time and a lot of money to try to take advantage of it and continue to grow the sport."

X-Factor: If the Florida Panthers are going to continue its Cinderella story, goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky will need to be on top of his game again.

Bobrovsky has struggled at times this season but in the playoffs, he has been stellar. He is 7-2 with a 2.82 GAA and a .918 SV% as he looks like his old Vezina self and is a big reason why the Panthers have gone on this run.

Florida Panthers projected lineup

• Verhaeghe-Barkov-Duclair
• Cousins-Bennett-Tkachuk
• Luostarinen-Lundell-Reinhart
• Lomberg-E. Staal-White

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• Forsling-Ekblad
• M. Staal-Montour
• Mahura-Gudas

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• Bobrovsky
• Lyon

Carolina Hurricanes projected lineup

• Noesen-Aho-Jarvis
• Martinook-Kotkaniemi-Fast
• Teravainen-J. Staal-Necas
• Drury-Statsny-Stepan

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• Slavin-Burns
• Skjei-Pesce
• Gostisbehere-Chatfield

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• Grubauer
• Raanta

Florida Panthers vs Carolina Hurricanes prediction

Both the Florida Panthers and the Carolina Hurricanes will be well rested after ending their series in five games. The Hurricanes are also set to get Teuvo Teravainen back from injury which is a massive boost for them.

This should be a great game, especially with the way Bobrovsky and Andersen are playing, but the Panthers give up too many chances and have been bailed out by Bobrovsky. Their D-core is also a concern and this Hurricanes team will finally make them pay and win a close game.

Carolina Hurricanes 3, Florida Panthers 1