The Carolina Hurricanes lost an all-time Game 3 heartbreaker, 5-4 in double overtime, and now trail the Stanley Cup Final 2-1 with a true must-not-lose Game 4 tonight (Tuesday June 9, 8 PM ET, ABC) back at T-Mobile Arena. The strange part: even down a game and on the road, Carolina is the betting favorite. The market still reads the Canes as the better team, listing them at -114 for Game 4 even as Vegas holds the series lead.
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Why Game 4 Is the Series
A 2-2 split sends the Final back to Raleigh on Thursday with home ice and momentum reset. A 3-1 deficit is close to fatal: teams trailing 3-1 in the Stanley Cup Final have come back to win only once in the last several decades. Carolina has to steal one in Vegas, exactly the spot they were in for Game 3 before the roof caved in during a wild third period and double overtime.
Game 4 Market at NC Sportsbooks
Despite trailing, Carolina is the slim road favorite. This series has been a coin flip every night: all three games have been decided by a single goal, and the average of 8.3 goals per night is the most in any Stanley Cup Final through three games since 1981.
| Market | Line | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Carolina moneyline | -114 | Road favorite as the better team |
| Vegas moneyline | -105 | Slim home dog despite the series lead |
| Carolina puck line -1.5 | +213 | Value if you expect a multi-goal Carolina win |
| Carolina puck line +1.5 | -260 | Insurance in a one-goal series |
| Total goals O/U 5.5 | Over -135 / Under +110 | Every game has gone over; 8.3 goals a night |
| Three-way regulation (Carolina) | +165 | Excludes OT, where the series keeps ending |
| Both teams to score: Yes | -320 | Both teams have scored in every game |
Illustrative; shop the line across DraftKings NC, FanDuel NC, BetMGM NC, Caesars NC, bet365 NC, Fanatics NC, Underdog NC, and theScore Bet NC.
The Andersen Question, Game 4 Edition
Frederik Andersen has been the series’ biggest swing factor. He has surrendered five goals in two of the three games, including the Game 3 collapse in which Carolina led the shot count but could not survive a Mitch Marner hat trick and a Shea Theodore double-overtime winner. In a track meet that is now averaging more than eight goals a night, the Canes do not need Andersen to be a wall; they need him to be league-average and let their 5-on-5 edge decide it.
A prop NC books are pricing: Andersen Over 24.5 saves (-125). Vegas generates heavy volume at home, and a high-event game points to a save total that clears even if a couple get through.
Three Keys for Carolina
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Close the third period. Carolina has been the better 5-on-5 team for stretches of all three games, but late-game and overtime execution has gone Vegas’ way (two OT/2OT results, both Knights wins). The Canes have to protect a lead or win a tight third instead of trading haymakers.
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Aho and the top line stay hot. Sebastian Aho leads Carolina’s forwards in playoff scoring and the Aho line has driven the run of play. If that line wins its minutes against Vegas’ depth, Carolina controls the game.
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Special teams and discipline. Carolina’s power play has produced in this series; Vegas’ crowd-fueled aggression draws penalties. One special-teams swing decides most one-goal games, and every game in this series has been a one-goal game.
Conn Smythe Market Going Into Game 4
| Player | Odds | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Marner (VGK) | +275 | Fastest hat trick in Cup Final history in Game 3 |
| Theodore (VGK) | +350 | Game 3 double-OT winner; 1g 2a in Game 1 |
| Aho (CAR) | +450 | Carolina’s playoff scoring leader |
| Eichel (VGK) | +500 | Broke out as a playmaker in Game 3 |
| Andersen (CAR) | +700 | Needs a signature win to climb back in |
Cup Futures: Carolina Slid to Underdog
| Team | Pre-Final | Post-G2 | Post-G3 (today) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carolina | -160 | -145 | +160 |
| Vegas | +130 | +125 | -190 |
Note the split: Vegas is the Cup favorite (up 2-1, two wins from the title), yet Carolina is the favorite to win the single Game 4. For NC bettors, the comeback angle is the value play: Carolina was a -160 Cup favorite before the series and is now +160 after two one-goal losses to a team it has largely matched at 5-on-5.
Best Bets for NC Bettors
- Carolina ML -114. The better team, in a desperation spot, on a night a loss ends their realistic title hopes. Road price or not, this is the side.
- Over 5.5 (-135). Every game has gone over; the series is averaging 8.3 goals; both teams score every night (BTTS -320).
- Aho anytime point (-175). He has driven Carolina’s offense all series and all postseason.
- Andersen Over 24.5 saves (-125). A bet on Vegas home shot volume as much as Andersen’s form.
Where to Bet Game 4 From North Carolina
All eight NC-licensed mobile sportsbooks are pricing Game 4 deeply: moneyline, puck line, three-way, totals, period totals, goalscorer props, save props, and live in-play. FanDuel is running the largest guaranteed welcome offer in the state right now: “Get $350 in Bonus Bets Guaranteed” (bet $5 for 7 days, $350 in bonus bets regardless of result), and leads the NC market on Same Game Parlay pricing for NHL.
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Other strong options: bet365 for the deepest live in-play menu, DraftKings for the widest Conn Smythe board, BetMGM for boosted Hurricanes parlays. Compare all eight at our NC sportsbooks comparison.
Series schedule
| Game | Date | Location | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| G1 | Tue Jun 2 | Carolina | VGK 5, CAR 4 |
| G2 | Thu Jun 4 | Carolina | CAR 4, VGK 3 (OT) |
| G3 | Sat Jun 6 | Vegas (T-Mobile Arena) | VGK 5, CAR 4 (2OT) |
| G4 | Tue Jun 9 | Vegas | TONIGHT 8 PM ET ABC |
| G5 * | Thu Jun 11 | Carolina | If necessary |
| G6 * | Sun Jun 14 | Vegas | If necessary |
| G7 * | Wed Jun 17 | Carolina | If necessary |
* If necessary.
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