Top Shelf Picks: Best NHL Bets and Props Today (Will Hurricanes Force a Game 6?)

Iain MacMillan | May 28, 2025

The Hurricanes are slight home underdogs in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final. / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The Carolina Hurricanes escaped elimination on Monday night, shutting out the Florida Panthers by a final score of 3-0.

As a result, the series will head back to Carolina for Game 5. The Panthers will either turn this into a gentleman's sweep or, if the Hurricanes win, we all of a sudden have a series on our hands.

Let's take a look at my best bets for Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final on Wednesday night.

Top NHL Picks Today

• Hurricanes (+100) vs. Panthers via FanDuel
• Seth Jarvis Anytime Goal (+220) via DraftKings

Panthers vs. Hurricanes Game 5 Prediction

The Hurricanes aren't dead quite yet. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if they turn this into a series.

After their Game 4 win, the Hurricanes now have an expected goal differential of +0.82 during 5-on-5 play and +3.03 during all strengths in this series. Poor goaltending and bad shooting cost them the first three games, but they seem to have woken up, and Frederik Andersen looked back to his old self in Game 4 after being benched in Game 3.

Don't assume the Panthers are going to pull off the Gentleman's sweep. The Hurricanes are very much alive.

Pick: Hurricanes +100

Panthers vs. Hurricanes Game 5 Prop Bet

Seth Jarvis has cranked things up offensively of late, and now he has 7.4 expected goals so far in these playoffs. That's the third amongst all players and the second highest mark on the Hurricanes, behind just Andrei Svechnikov at 7.6. Due to him actually finding the back of the net, we're getting a bit of a discount on his odds to find the back of the net in Game 5. The opportunities have been there, and if he can notch one on home ice, this is going to be a great bet to cash at +220 odds.

Pick: Seth Jarvis Anytime Goal +220

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