February 17th NHL Odds and Picks for All 5 Games

• The Florida Panthers (9-2-2) vs Carolina Hurricanes (10-3-0) game is the marquee game of the NHL’s five-game schedule on February 17.
• NHL Network will telecast the game starting at 5 p.m, EST
• Here are the odds, lines, and picks for each game, plus best bets

When  the  Carolina Hurricanes play a home game against the Florida Panthers on February 17, it will be matchup of the No. 4 and No. 5 teams in the overall NHL standings.

Few people, if any, would have predicted this game would have this much importance before the season began.

On January 10, the Hurricanes were at +1900 to win the Stanley Cup, and today they are at +1600. The Panthers  were at +4767 to win the Cup on January 10 and today they are at +3067. This is an important game to the Central Division standings, which currently has Tampa Bay, Carolina and Florida separated by one point.  The Florida-Carolina contest is the headline game of Wednesday’s schedule. Here is the NHL slate:

NHL Odds February 17th

Odds taken Feb. 14th at DraftKings

Hurricanes Winning Despite Goalie Woes

Coach Ron Brind’Amour’s Hurricanes have won four of their last five, and each of those of wins have come on the strength of offense.

Goalie James Reimer did make 37 saves on 40 shots on goal in Monday’s win against Columbus, but he has given up 19 goals in his past five starts. It hasn’t been a problem because the Hurricanes have scored 24 goals in those five games. Their offense, led by Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov, is formidable.

Cedric Paquette crunches Seth Jones along the near boards. The #Canes bench loved this 💥 from New Guy. pic.twitter.com/fx8toKNWV1

— Michael Smith (@MSmithCanes) February 16, 2021

The Panthers’ offense, averaging 3.31 goals per game, will present a challenge for Reimer. Florida ranks 10th overall in goals per game. But the Hurricanes should be able to take advantage of the fact that the Panthers are a below-average defensive team, yielding an average of three goals per game.

The Hurricanes are 10-3 SU. No other NHL team has a better SU record than Carolina.

Pick: Hurricanes Moneyline (-150), 1 unit

Former Canuck is King in Calgary

The Calgary Flames signed away the Vancouver Canucks goalie Jacob Markstrom in the offseason, and now he’s playing a major role in helping the Flames beat his former team regularly.

The Flames have won four out of five against the Canucks this season, including two out of three thus far in this four-game series between the two series.  The  Flames, who lacked goaltending consistency last season,  are getting strong play from Markstrom. He is 8.4 with a .924 save percentage. The league average for save percentage is .905. Both of the Vancouver goalies, Braden Holtby and Thatcher Demko, are below .900.

But before making your pick for the February 17 series finale, keep in mind that the games have been getting tighter.

#Flames Jacob Markstrom this season

Vs Canucks
4-1-0, 1.61 GAA, .953 Save %

Vs Rest of North Division
4-3-1, 2.81 GAA, .903 Save % pic.twitter.com/phQw1BqeFE

— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) February 16, 2021

The Canucks won Game 2 of this series, and pushed Game 3 into overtime with a last-minute goal by Brock Boeser. They lost early in OT when Calgary’s Johnny Gaudreau scored.

Overall, the Canucks haven’t been the confident group they were last season in the regular-season and playoffs. The Flames, perhaps inspired by Markstrom’s steadiness, are playing with increased bravado.

This is an important game for the Flames. If they win, they improve to 9-6-1 and  could possibly move into a playoff position.  With Markstrom playing sharply, the moneyline bet looks attractive, even though the odds aren’t terrific. The Flames are 4-2 at home, making them a solid favorite.

Pick: Flames Moneyline (-155), 1 unit