Panthers vs. Hurricanes series preview: best bets for the eastern conference finals

_Gambling content 21+. The New York Post may receive an affiliate commission if you sign up through our links. Read our editorial standards for more information._ The bookmakers are

struggling to separate the Florida Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Finals.  The Panthers are the nominal -120 favorite to win the best-of-7 series at Caesars

Sportsbook, but opinions on who will advance are split, and for good reason. Carolina has looked like a juggernaut through the first two rounds of the playoffs, but the Panthers are the

defending champions and have had the tougher path of the two teams to this point. BEST BET TO WIN THE SERIES: PANTHERS (-120, CAESARS SPORTSBOOK) I wouldn’t say there is much value in either

direction on the series moneyline, but if I had to back a team, it would be the Panthers as a slight favorite. EXPLORE MORE Carolina can be a stylistic nightmare for plenty of teams, but

Florida is well-equipped to handle the Hurricanes’ swarming, relentless system. The Hurricanes want to get as many pucks on net as humanly possible throughout a game, and take advantage of

the ensuing chaos that comes from rebounds, blocked shots, and bounces, but that won’t be all that easy to pull off against Florida. Only Carolina allowed fewer shot attempts per game than

the Panthers did this season. Florida is able to beat you in so many ways, while the Canes seemingly struggle when they’re forced to go to a Plan B. BEST PROP BET: EVAN RODRIGUES TO LEAD THE

SERIES IN GOALS (40/1, BET365) There are a couple of reasons to back a long shot in this market. First of all, it’s expected to be a low-scoring series with the total for Game 1 sitting at

5.5 with juice on the under. ------------------------- BETTING ON THE NHL? ------------------------- Secondly, the Panthers and Hurricanes are both deep offensive teams that spread out their

scoring. Those factors should lower the bar for what it will take to lead this series in scoring, opening the door for someone like Evan Rodrigues to top the table. Rodrigues missed some

time in Round 2, but was back on the first line with Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart in Game 7, so he should have the opportunity to make an impact in this series.

------------------------- WHY TRUST NEW YORK POST BETTING Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling

industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.