Sports betting is live in North Carolina! Basketball has been getting so much of the attention leading up to today's launch, but don't forget about the NHL. The Carolina Hurricanes are one of the best teams in hockey this season and you might be thinking about how to capitalize on their success ahead of the playoffs.
Let's take a look at the state of NHL futures.
How to Use North Carolina Sports Betting Promos
Eight major sportsbooks apps launched in North Carolina today and they each have new user bonus offers.
Fanatics Sportsbook is offering new users the option to get $1,000 in total bonus bets over first 10 days or bet $20, get $200 in bonus bets. ESPN BET is offering new users $225 bonus bets and a 200% deposit match up to $500.
And then there's FanDuel, which is offering new users a bet $5 get $250 in bonus bets promo. We advise you sign up for at least a couple of sportsbooks so you can shop for the best lines.
Now that we've gone through how the promos work, here's why you should make you first bet on Hurricanes futures.
Carolina Hurricanes Futures
After acquiring Jake Guentzel and Evgeny Kuznetsov, the Hurricanes are a solid contender to win the Eastern Conference (+350 at FanDuel) and the Stanley Cup (+800 at FanDuel). They're also still plus money to win the Metropolitan Division (+130 at FanDuel).
The Hurricanes currently sit two points behind the New York Rangers — who have a game in hand — for first place in the division. These two teams face off in Carolina on Tuesday for a game with significant division title implications. The Hurricanes beat the Rangers 6-1 when they last met in January at Madison Square Garden.
Carolina has some difficult contests ahead, taking on the Florida Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs later this week, but the Rangers’ upcoming schedule is particularly grueling. New York plays five games over the next seven days, including two back-to-backs. They’ll be without captain Jacob Trouba this week who is dealing with a lower-body injury, and potentially top defenseman Adam Fox who is under the weather.
Looking ahead to crunch time, the Hurricanes’ final five games of the season feature matchups against the Chicago Blackhawks, St. Louis Blues, and Boston Bruins, plus two tilts with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Meanwhile, the Rangers will face the New York Islanders twice, the Philadelphia Flyers, the Ottawa Senators and the Montreal Canadiens. Thus, the Hurricanes seem better positioned to pick up some bonus points to finish out the season.
Schedule aside, Carolina has simply been the better hockey team of late, recovering mightily after stumbling a bit out of the gate. Since Jan. 1, the Hurricanes boast the third-best points percentage in the NHL, and their underlying numbers are perhaps even more impressive. Carolina ranks in the top three in xGF/60 at 5-on-5, xGA/60 at 5-on-5 and xGF% at 5-on-5, while the Rangers’ underlying process, on the other hand, has been middling at best.
For Carolina, all of this success has come without Guentzel — the trade deadline headliner and two-time forty-goal scorer — who has yet to even make his Hurricanes debut. He’s still recovering from an upper-body injury but should be back as soon as this week.
So, if the Hurricanes can take down the Rangers on Tuesday, they’ll put themselves in prime position to ultimately leapfrog New York and win the Metropolitan division. It's something to keep in mind.
