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The Panthers and Hurricanes clash in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference final as Florida, up 3-1 in the series, looks to close out Carolina and advance to the Stanley Cup Final for the third straight year.
Follow along as The Athletic’s reporters on the ground in Raleigh and team of hockey experts across the country have you covered with the latest insight and analysis.
P3 16:13 – Panthers 3, Hurricanes 2
Andersen comes up with a couple of big saves on the penalty kill to keep Carolina's deficit to one goal.
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P3 17:14 – Panthers 3, Hurricanes 2
Aho does really well to steal the puck in the neutral zone and set Jarvis up for a shorthanded scoring opportunity, but Bobrovsky makes a relatively routine save.
We're halfway through the Panthers power play.
P3 18:14 – Panthers 3, Hurricanes 2
Staal makes a great play to prevent a two-on-one from getting to the front of the net.
Moments later, though, William Carrier commits his second penalty of the night, holding Lundell as the two skated towards the corner wall.
P3 20:00 – Panthers 3, Hurricanes 2
Twenty minutes stand between the Panthers and their third straight Stanley Cup Final appearance. Let's see if the Hurricanes can extend their season!
Aiden S.: Tampa fan here, Florida did that to us multiple times. No lead is safe.
Walt B.: Outplay them for 95% of the game, make one dumb penalty and completely flip things. I’ve never seen a team make you pay for mistakes the way Florida does. Uncanny. They’re amazing.
O M.: I expect that the third period will be suffocating, and as the inevitable sets in I suspect that frustration will surface.
Remember, you can join the conversation by heading over to tonight's discussion page, or by emailing us at live@theathletic.com.
With his assist on Anton Lundell's go-ahead goal in the second period, Brad Marchand became the fourth active player with 25 career points in potential clinching games.
The only active players who have recorded more points in clinchers are Sidney Crosby (39), Evgeni Malkin (38) and Patrick Kane (29).
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Tkachuk was most responsible for the swing in this game.
He scored the goal that ignited Florida and took a hit that led to Rodrigues’ goal that followed seconds later.
I’m a big believer that Tkachuk should be the captain of Team USA in the Olympics in February, with all due respect to Auston Matthews. Tkachuk is a winner. Moments like what we saw in the second period nicely illustrate this. Just because he isn’t the captain of the Panthers doesn’t mean he shouldn’t wear the ‘C’ in Milan. He most certainly should.
Panthers 3, Hurricanes 2
The Hurricanes are generating more attempts and are outhitting the physical Panthers by some margin, but boy they could really use a power-play goal of their own!
With his game-tying goal in the second period, Evan Rodrigues became the 19th different Florida player with a goal this postseason.
Only eight teams in NHL history have had more unique goal scorers in a playoff year,:
The Panthers kill off the rest of the penalty, followed by roughly 30 seconds of even-strength play that's punctuated by Hall forcing a save from Bobrovsky.
The Hurricanes led 2-0 at the first intermission, but this game has been flipped completely on its head since then.
Carolina needs to find an answer in the final 20 minutes or its season will be over tonight.
P2 2:22 – Panthers 3, Hurricanes 2
The Hurricanes nearly score just four seconds into the power play as Aho gets a great backhand shot off but Bobrovsky makes a fantastic save.
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P2 2:26 – Panthers 3, Hurricanes 2
Rodrigues, who drew a penalty earlier this period, heads to the box for holding Orlov.
P2 2:42 – Panthers 3, Hurricanes 2
A shot from near the faceoff dot by Barkov forces a strong blocker save from Andersen.
Aho's stick breaks, leaving the Hurricanes virtually shorthanded for the next 30 seconds or so but the Panthers are unable to capitalize on the opportunity.
P2 4:04 – Panthers 3, Hurricanes 2
Burns with another shot on goal, this time at even strength, and Bobrovsky saves it again, but doesn't quite have it. The whistle blows just as the Panthers defensemen cover behind the goalie in case the puck escapes his grasp.
P2 5:54 – Panthers 3, Hurricanes 2
Not much doing for Carolina on that power play. One shot on goal, coming from Burns.
I asked Paul Maurice about Brad Marchand during the first round of the playoffs. He responded, “One of the reasons he’s here is that we think Anton Lundell has more offense in him, and we think Brad Marchand can help get him there.”
And there you have it. Where would the Panthers be without that line?
Incredible surge from the champs. Let’s see if the Canes can answer.
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In Game 4, we saw Brad Marchand leave his typical linemates, Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen, to play on Florida's top line in Sam Reinhart's absence. That wasn't ideal for Florida; the Marchand-led third line had been good. Now, with Reinhart back in the mix, Marchand is staying in one place and free to do things like set up Lundell for goals, as we just saw.
P2 7:54 – Panthers 3, Hurricanes 2
The Hurricanes might be facing their first deficit of the night, but they're immediately given a lifeline as Carrier draws an interference penalty from Kulikov just seven seconds after Lundell's goal.
P2 8:01 – Panthers 3, Hurricanes 2
What a shocking turn this game has taken! Lundell wins a faceoff, outmuscles Aho to get in position in front of the net, and redirects a Marchand pass past Andersen to give the Panthers their first lead of the night!
