NHL betting: Should you back the Panthers or the Rangers in the Eastern Conference Final?

For starters, the Panthers have the edge at sportsbooks. DraftKings lists Florida as the -150 moneyline favorite to win the Eastern Conference Final against the +130 Rangers, and a six-game set is the favored series length at +200 odds. A 4-2 series with Florida winning is priced at +380 while a 4-2 series going to New York is priced at +650. It's possible the Panthers are slightly favored since they won two out of three against the Rangers in the regular season, and because they are the reigning Eastern Conference champs. Either way, the President's Trophy-winning Blueshirts will certainly put up a fight.

If you like betting on high-scoring games, this is the series for you. The Over hit in four of New York's six games against Carolina, and it hit in six straight for Florida spanning the first round against the Tampa Bay Lightning and the second round against Boston. If betting on individual players to score the most goals is more your jam, Panthers winger Sam Reinhart is the +400 favorite at DK to score the most in this series, followed by Rangers forward Artemi Panarin at +475. Panthers forward Carter Verhaeghe is next on the list at +600, followed by Tkachuk at +650 and Rangers left wing Chris Kreider at +750.

But don't worry, there will be plenty of big saves between the pipes as well. This series features two of the best netminders in the East. Two-time Vezina Trophy winner Sergei Bobrovsky once again has the Panthers looking at a Stanley Cup Final bid, while Shesterkin has been standing on his head to keep the Rangers alive — making 45-plus saves in back-to-back games against the Hurricanes. Neither netminder is favored to get a shutout in Game 1 on Wednesday; however Shesterkin is favored at -115 to make Over 29.5 saves while Bobrovsky is listed at -105 to make Over 25.5 saves.  

Game 1 between the Florida Panthers and New York Rangers is set for Wednesday, May 22. Puck drop is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET.