Halfway there.
Going the distance with the Maple Leafs in the Eastern Conference Second Round, the Florida Panthers handled their divisional opponent with a 6-1 win in Game 7 at Scotiabank Arena on Sunday night.
A quick turnaround, the team now shifts its focus to the Eastern Conference Final, with only the Carolina Hurricanes standing in their way of their third straight Stanley Cup Final appearance.
“You stay in it,” defenseman Aaron Ekblad said shortly after arriving in Raleigh on Monday. “We’ve had some big gaps, like you said. We’ve also had experience in this exact situation. As a team, we know how to handle it. I think it’s good to stay in it and not get out of that playoff body, kind of feeling it every day mindset.”
Meeting in the Eastern Conference Final for the second time in three years, the 2023 matchup had no shortage of drama.
One of the most memorable games in recent NHL history, a four-overtime game kicked off four straight one-goal wins, as the Panthers swept the Hurricanes on their way to their second-ever Cup appearance.
Now, the Panthers will look to do it again.
Here is everything you need to know ahead of the second-round matchup.
THE PLAYOFF BASICS
Panthers (3A): 8-4 | 4-1 over Lightning in Round 1, 4-3 over Maple Leafs in Round 2
Hurricanes (2M): 8-2 | 4-1 over Devils in Round 1, 4-1 over Capitals in Round 2
Offense: FLA: 3.75 GF/GP; 20.5% PP | CAR: 3.40 GF/GP; 28.1% PP
Defense: FLA: 2.42 GA/GP; 88.9% PK | CAR: 1.80 GA/GP; 93.3% PK
PLAYOFF ADVANCED NUMBERS (5-ON-5)
Panthers: 56.83 CF%, 58.18 GF%, 56.50 xGF%, 54.59 HDCF%
Hurricanes: 58.78 CF%, 57.58 GF%, 53.80 xGF%, 53.24 HDCF%
PLAYOFF LEADING SCORERS
Panthers: Brad Marchand (three goals, nine assists), Eetu Luostarinen (three goals, nine assists), Sam Reinhart (four goals, seven assists), Anton Lundell (four goals, six assists), Aleksander Barkov (three goal, four assists)
Hurricanes: Seth Jarvis (four goals, six assists), Sebastian Aho (three goals, seven assists), Andrei Svechnikov (eight goals, one assist), Shayne Gostisbehere (three goals, four assists), Taylor Hall (two goals, four assists)
Breakdown: There will be no shortage of depth on either side in the Eastern Conference Final. With both teams able to roll four lines and three D-pairings, the waves of attack are constant. For the Panthers, 21 different skaters have recorded a point, 17 have found the back of the net, and five have double-digit points through two series. On the flip side, the Hurricanes have 18 different point collectors, 15 goal scorers, and two players with 10 points.
PLAYOFF GOALIE MATCHUP
Panthers: Sergei Bobrovsky (8-4, 2.31 GAA, .901 SV%)
Hurricanes: Frederik Andersen (7-2, 1.36 GAA, .937 SV%)
Breakdown: No. 72 continues to step up in the clutch. Owning a combined .962 save percentage between Game 5 and 7 in Toronto, Bobrovsky stopped a total of 52 shots and allowed just two goals in the pair of 6-1 wins. The Florida netminder also posted his second shutout of the postseason in a 2-0 win in Game 4. For Carolina, Andersen has been one of the league’s best in this year’s playoffs. Leading all goalies with a .937 save percentage, the 35-year-old veteran has posted a below .900 save percentage just once. Stopping 21 shots against the Capitals in Game 3 in the Second Round, the Danish goaltender recorded his fourth career postseason shutout.
PLAYOFF X-FACTOR
Panthers: Has there been a better line in the playoffs this year? On absolute fire, the trio of Marchand, Lundell and Luostarinen is only getting better. Tied for team lead in scoring, Marchand and Luostarinen each have 12 points, while Lundell ranks tied for fourth with 10. In 12 playoff games, the line has a 55.27% offensive advantage and has outscored opponents 10-2 while 5-on-5. If the Panthers advance, this line could be a big reason why.
Hurricanes: One of the best defensive teams in the league, the Hurricanes don’t give their opponents much space to work with. Of the teams that played in two rounds, the Hurricanes allowed a playoff low of 196 shots while 5-on-5, which is 30 less than the second lowest team. Against two offensive opponents in the Devils and Capitals, the Hurricanes ranked first in goal against (among Second Round teams) with just 14 in 10 games. Able to limit chances, the Panthers will have to make the most of the ones they get.
REGULAR SEASON
There was a pair of high-scoring affairs for the Panthers against the Hurricanes in the regular season.
In three meetings, Florida went 2-1-0, outscoring Carolina 13-6.
Notching four points in those games, Lundell led the team in scoring, while Barkov, Ekblad, Luostarinen, Rodrigues and Tkachuk each tallied three.
In the first of a back-to-back, a three-goal third period pushed the Panthers to a 6-3 win at Lenovo Center on Nov. 29. A day later, the Panthers would do it again, this time winning 6-0 at Amerant Bank Arena behind a four-goal third period effort.
Avoiding the season series sweep, a late third-period goal from Slavin helped give the Hurricanes a 3-1 win on Jan. 2 at Amerant Bank Arena.
EASTERN CONFERENCE FINAL SCHEDULE
Game 1 | Tuesday, May 20 | Florida Panthers at Carolina Hurricanes | 8 p.m. (ET) | Lenovo Center | TNT, truTV, Max, SN, CBC, TVAS
Game 2 | Thursday, May 22 | Florida Panthers at Carolina Hurricanes | 8 p.m. (ET) | Lenovo Center | TNT, truTV, Max, SN, CBC, TVAS
Game 3 | Saturday, May 24 | Florida Panthers vs. Carolina Hurricanes | 8 p.m. (ET) | Amerant Bank Arena | TNT, truTV, Max, SN, CBC, TVAS
Game 4 | Monday, May 26 | Florida Panthers vs. Carolina Hurricanes | 8 p.m. (ET) | Amerant Bank Arena | TNT, truTV, Max, SN, CBC, TVAS
*Game 5 | Wednesday, May 28 | Florida Panthers at Carolina Hurricanes | 8 p.m. (ET) | Lenovo Center | TNT, truTV, Max, SN, CBC, TVAS
*Game 6 | Friday, May 30 | Florida Panthers vs. Carolina Hurricanes | 8 p.m. (ET) | Amerant Bank Arena | TNT, truTV, Max, SN, CBC, TVAS
*Game 7 | Sunday, June 1 | Florida Panthers at Carolina Hurricanes | 8 p.m. (ET) | Lenovo Center | TNT, truTV, Max, SN, CBC, TVAS
* If necessary
KEY QUOTES
“On they ice, they’ve been, shall I say, as advertised. You saw last night. Brad’s a big-moment guy. His personality has helped his linemates. He’s helped our team. His presence in the room, from his preparation, his experience to his professional. Same with Seth. Seth has come in and adjusted to the way we play hockey, which suits him well.” — Bill Zito on Brad Marchand and Seth Jones
“This morning, I knew we were traveling here, so kind of got it there. Yesterday was all about Game 7. You didn’t get to really think about anything like what’s going to happen tomorrow. It was fun. We really enjoyed the game yesterday.” – Aleksander Barkov on turning the page quickly from one round to another
“I think the only difference is what we’ve gone through and having that experience to rely on. There’s really not much different with us. We’re still goofing around, having fun, joking all the time. But when it’s time to put those work boots on, I don’t think there’s a team that works harder.” – Matthew Tkachuk on Florida’s growth over the past three seasons
PANTHERS PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Forwards
Evan Rodrigues – Aleksander Barkov – Sam Reinhart
Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Brad Marchand
A.J. Greer – Tomas Nosek – Jonah Gadjovich
Defensemen
Gustav Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola – Seth Jones
Nate Schmidt – Dmitry Kulikov
Goaltenders
Sergei Bobrovsky
Vitek Vanecek
HURRICANES PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Forwards
Andrei Svechnikov – Sebastian Aho – Seth Jarvis
Taylor Hall – Jack Roslovic – Logan Stankoven
Jordan Martinook – Jordan Staal – William Carrier
Eric Robinson – Jesperi Kotkaniemi – Jackson Blake
Defensemen
Jaccob Slavin – Brent Burns
Alexander Nikishin – Dmitry Orlov
Shayne Gostisbehere – Sean Walker
Goaltenders
Frederik Andersen
Pyotr Kochetkov
Join your Cats for the official Eastern Conference Final, Game 1 watch party at Funky Buddha on Tuesday, May 20! Enjoy drinks, food and fun with fellow fans while watching the Panthers take on the Hurricanes. Puck drop from Lenovo Center is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. ET.
Join your Cats for the official Eastern Conference Final, Game 2 watch party at War Memorial Auditorium on Thursday, May 22! Enjoy drinks, food and fun with fellow fans while watching the Panthers take on the Hurricanes. Puck drop from Lenovo Center is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. ET.
