2026 NHL Opening Night: Hurricanes vs. Panthers Odds, Predictions, and Best Bets

The Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes open their title defense when they battle the Florida Panthers in a 2026-2027 NHL Opening Night matchup on Tuesday. Carolina is coming off a season in which it defeated the Vegas Golden Knights in six games to win its second-ever Stanley Cup title. The Panthers, who placed seventh in the Atlantic Division at 40-38-4, were 17-23-1 on the road last season. The Hurricanes, who won the Metropolitan Division at 53-22-7, were 29-10-2 on their home ice. Claim the latest Polymarket promo code CBSSPORTS to get a $50 bonus after $10 in trades :

Face-off from Lenovo Center in Raleigh, N.C., is set for 5 p.m. ET. The Hurricanes are the -130 favorites (risk $130 to win $100) in the latest Hurricanes vs. Panthers odds, while the over/under for total goals scored is 6.5. Before making any Panthers vs. Hurricanes picks,  check out the NHL predictions and betting advice for Panthers vs. Hurricanes from the SportsLine Projection Model .

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NHL game 10,000 times. The model enters the 2026-27 NHL season profitable on top-rated  NHL picks  this season, including a +550 return on top-rated money-line picks. Anyone following its  NHL betting  advice at  sportsbooks  and on  betting apps  could have seen strong returns.

Now, the model has simulated Panthers vs. Hurricanes  10,000 times and just revealed its coveted NHL picks and betting predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model's picks . Here are several NHL odds and trends for Hurricanes vs. Panthers:

Panthers vs. Hurricanes money line:

Carolina -130, Florida +109

Panthers vs. Hurricanes over/under:

6.5 goals

Panthers vs. Hurricanes puck line:

Carolina -1.5 (+183)

Panthers vs. Hurricanes picks:

See picks at SportsLine

Panthers vs. Hurricanes streaming:

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Top Panthers vs. Hurricanes predictions

After 10,000 simulations of Panthers vs. Hurricanes, SportsLine's model is going Over on the total (6.5).  The Over has hit in six of the last 10 head-to-head meetings between the teams, including in each of the last four. The Over has also hit in six of the last nine Florida games, and in five of the last seven Carolina games, including one push. The Hurricanes were second in the league at 3.55 goals per game in 2025-26, while Florida was 18th at 3.00.

The SportsLine model is projecting Florida's Sam Reinhart to score .56 goals and .52 assists, while goaltender Jacob Markstrom will make 27.6 saves and allow 3.79 goals. Carolina's Sebastian Aho is projected to score 0.45 goals and 0.77 assists. Goalie Brandon Bussi will make 21.9 saves and allow 2.93 goals. The model projects 7 combined goals between the teams, making the Over the play in 58% of simulations.  See the model's Panthers vs. Hurricanes predictions at SportsLine .

How to make Hurricanes vs. Panthers picks

After simulating each shift of Panthers vs. Hurricanes 10,000 times, the model also says one side of the money line has all the value.  You can head to SportsLine to see the model's NHL picks .

So who wins Panthers vs. Hurricanes, and which side of the money line has all the value?  Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Panthers vs. Hurricanes spread to back, all from the model that has returned over $550 on top-rated NHL picks , and find out.

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_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/betting/news/hurricanes-panthers-odds-time-prediction-time-2026-nhl-opening-night-best-bets/)._