The Florida Panthers were close to becoming the NHL’s top team when they reached the Stanley Cup Final two years ago and returned to win the Cup last year.
For the Panthers, the turning point came when they were in the exact position they’re in now: in the Eastern Conference finals, about to begin a road series against the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday night. In their previous meeting, Florida swept the series with four one-goal victories, starting with a dramatic four-overtime game that became the sixth-longest in NHL history.
“That playoff experience started three years ago and this building was a part of that,” said forward Matthew Tkachuk, who scored the four-OT game-winner in Raleigh, then followed it with another OT goal two nights later, rushing to the tunnel to celebrate in the locker room. “We have that to reflect on and go back on, but this is a whole new beast this time around.”
The Panthers come into this opener after a dominant 6-1 victory over Toronto in Game 7 on Sunday. After the win, they flew to Carolina on Monday, sticking to their usual routine of resting, hydrating, and starting recovery in the city after the game.
“If anything, we know there’s a tremendous amount of work left that certainly doesn’t get easier against a team like Carolina,” said Florida forward Sam Reinhart.
“We’ve seen them year-in, year-out and we’ve had a series against them that was as tight as any, checking and the style of play. We’ll get back, ready, recover and get ready to go on Tuesday.”
The Hurricanes have been off since sweeping the top-seeded Washington Capitals in just five games on Thursday. This win sent them to the Eastern final for the second time in three seasons and the third time in their current seven-year postseason streak since Rod Brind’Amour became head coach.
However, Carolina has struggled in the conference finals. The team has lost every conference final since Brind’Amour led the franchise to its only Cup win in 2006, including being swept in 2009, 2019, and two years ago. This makes it 12 straight losses in the conference final, eight of which came with the current core of the team.
“Two years ago, it didn’t feel good obviously at the time,” said Carolina captain Jordan Staal. “Whenever you have tough losses when you feel good about where you’re headed, they always stick out in your mind.”
In net, Carolina’s Frederik Andersen has been outstanding. He leads all goalies with multiple playoff starts in goals-against average (1.36) and save percentage (.937). Florida’s Sergei Bobrovsky, meanwhile, was tough on Carolina in their 2023 series and comes into this matchup with a 2.31 GAA and a .901 save percentage.
Florida Panthers players celebrate in Game 3When it comes to special teams, this series features the two best penalty-killing teams in the postseason.
The Hurricanes rank first, stopping 28 of 30 chances (.933) through the first two rounds, while also scoring one short-handed goal. The Panthers are second, stopping 34 of 38 chances (.895).
This could make it difficult for both teams’ power plays. Carolina is 9 of 32 (28.1%) on the power play, ranking fourth in the postseason, while Florida is 10th at 8 of 39 (20.5%).
Florida has reached the NHL’s final four for the third straight season, matching the longest streak by any team in the past 20 postseasons.
Dallas has also made the conference finals for the third consecutive year and will meet Edmonton in a rematch of the 2024 West finals. Other teams with similar streaks include Tampa Bay (2020-22), Chicago (2013-15), Los Angeles (2012-14), and Detroit (2007-09).
When looking at the two rosters, 33 players in this series — 17 for Florida and 16 for Carolina — have played in at least one conference final game before.
Five players in this series have at least nine career points in the conference finals, and all of them play for Florida. Brad Marchand, Carter Verhaeghe, and Matthew Tkachuk all have 10 points, while Aleksander Barkov and Sam Bennett each have nine.
One of Carolina’s key players, Andrei Svechnikov, was injured during the 2023 series against Florida and missed it. Now, the 25-year-old is having his best postseason yet.
Svechnikov, who is 6-foot-3 and weighs 199 pounds, has eight goals in the playoffs, second only to Mikko Rantanen of Dallas. He scored the game-winner in last week’s clincher against Washington. He has also avoided his past habit of taking untimely penalties, with only one trip to the penalty box in two rounds.
“The effort’s always been there,” said coach Rod Brind’Amour. “What you’re seeing out of him through these two rounds anyway is he’s impactful even when he’s not on the scoresheet. You just kind of notice him.”
