Carolina Hurricanes vs Florida Panthers: Game preview, predictions and odds | January 2, 2025

The Carolina Hurricanes (22-13-2) are set to play the Florida Panthers (23-13-2) on Thursday, Jan. 2, at 7 p.m. EST.

Carolina is coming off a 4-3 shootout loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday. Florida, meanwhile, is coming off a 5-3 win over the New York Rangers on Monday.

Hurricanes vs Panthers: Head-to-head & key stats

• Carolina is 73-49-11-10 all-time against Florida
• The Hurricanes are averaging 3.46 goals per game
• Florida is averaging 3.39 goals per game
• Carolina is allowing 2.81 goals per game
• The Panthers are 11-7-1 at home
• The Hurricanes are 8-9-2 on the road
• Florida is averaging 3.39 goals per game

Carolina Hurricanes vs Florida Panthers: Preview

Carolina is coming off a shootout loss to Columbus and has one win in its past four games. The Hurricanes are led by Martin Necas who has 45 points, Sebastian Aho has 40 points, Shayne Gostisbehere has 27 points and Andrei Svechnikov has 26 points.

The Hurricanes will start Pyotr Kochetkov who's 14-7-1 with a 2.52 GAA and a .899 SV%. In his career against Florida, he's 1-0 with a 0.00 GAA and a 1.000 SV%.

Florida, meanwhile, is 2-2 in its last four as the Panthers are set to start Sergei Bobrovsky who's 17-7-1 with a 2.81 GAA and a .896 SV%. In his career against Carolina, he's 15-15-1 with a 2.37 GAA and a .923 SV%.

Sam Reinhart leads the Panthers with 45 points, Matthew Tkachuk has 35 points, Aleksander Barkov has 34 points and Sam Bennett has 27 points.

Hurricanes vs Panthers: Odds & Prediction

Carolina is a +105 underdog, while Florida is -125 favorite. The over/under is set at 6.5 goals.

The Hurricanes and Panthers are two of the best teams in the NHL so this will be a highly-anticipated game. Florida and Carolina are legit Stanley Cup contenders, but at home, the Panthers have played well this season.

This will be a low-scoring game, as both goalies have been solid this season. Florida, however, should be able to edge out a low-scoring win at home to begin 2025 on a high note.

Prediction: Panthers 3, Hurricanes 2.

Panthers vs Hurricanes: Betting Tips

Tip 1: Florida ML (-125)

Tip 2: Under 6.5 goals (-135)

Tip 3: Matthew Tkachuk 3+ shots on goal (-120)

Tip 4: Carter Verhaeghe 1+ points (-140)