It didn’t matter that the Florida Panthers had just played a tough Game 7 on the road only 48 hours earlier to make it to the Eastern Conference final.
It also didn’t matter that they were facing a loud, unfriendly crowd or a team that hadn’t lost a home game yet and had been very strong at killing penalties.
Instead, the Panthers calmly took control against the Carolina Hurricanes, quickly took away their home-ice advantage, and played with the kind of confidence you’d expect from the current Stanley Cup champions in their 5-2 win in Game 1 on Tuesday night.
“I don’t know if it’s a statement,” said Carter Verhaeghe, who scored a power-play goal halfway through the first period to give Florida the lead and keep Carolina behind for the rest of the game. “They’re going to come back with their best. We’re just trying to go in and play our game every single time.”
According to Verhaeghe and coach Paul Maurice, this wasn’t some perfect, unstoppable performance. There were a few issues, as the team had to adjust after playing Tampa Bay and Toronto—teams that play a different kind of hockey. Maurice explained that those teams rely more on speed through the center of the ice, while Carolina focuses on a strong forecheck to keep pressure and control in the offensive zone.
“I think the best growth in our team comes off losses,” Maurice said. “I think that’s where we learn more. I didn’t love our game tonight. But I understood it. Significant style change, so the Game 1 is that first look at what your game looks like in a completely different opponent.”
Maybe so, but their performance still worked just fine.
The Panthers had just come off a 6-1 win in Game 7 of the second round against the Maple Leafs on Sunday. That win set up a repeat of last year’s Eastern final, which the Panthers won with four straight one-goal victories, including a dramatic Game 1 that went into four overtimes and ended with a Matthew Tkachuk goal in the sixth-longest game in NHL history.
Sergei Bobrovsky blocks in Game 1Florida waited until Monday to fly to Carolina so they could stick to their usual routine of staying in the road city after games to rest and recover. Then they handled this game with much less drama compared to that wild game in 2023, this time against a Hurricanes team that had won all five of its home playoff games and had been resting since beating the top-seeded Washington Capitals the previous Thursday.
“We know what to do and we know the recipe and our identity,” said fourth-line forward A.J. Greer, who scored an important goal in the second period to bring the lead back to two goals.
Verhaeghe began by getting open near the crease during a power play in the first period, then backhanded a rising puck past Frederik Andersen into the top right corner of the net. This quick goal came against a Carolina penalty kill that had only allowed two goals in 30 attempts over the previous two rounds.
Aaron Ekblad scored four minutes later, giving Florida a strong 2-0 lead. Then, after Sebastian Aho got a goal that bounced off his skate in the final seconds of the first period, Greer answered by scoring off a perfect 2-on-1 pass from Niko Mikkola. Sam Bennett added another power-play goal in the third period with Brad Marchand blocking the goalie’s view.
Eetu Luostarinen added a goal to make it 5-1 after the game had already been decided. That made it five different players scoring and 11 players getting at least one point.
Meanwhile, Sergei Bobrovsky made 31 saves in another solid game against Carolina. One of his best moments came when he lost his stick but still made a glove save on Jack Roslovic’s shot from the slot in the second period.
“They’re going to do the same thing we’re doing,” said Carolina captain Jordan Staal. “You can tell they do very similar stuff and they try to grind you down too. They’re here for a reason, they know how to do it well.”
By the end of the game, the only extra excitement came from a third-period scuffle between Marchand and Carolina’s Shayne Gostisbehere. Gostisbehere said he shot the puck at Marchand after the veteran player, who was picked up from Boston at the trade deadline, took “a run at me.” Marchand ended up with a game misconduct and had to be led off the ice by an official while yelling back toward center ice.
That fiery finish matched the mood of Florida’s win.
“Our depth has been incredible all year and especially in the playoffs,” Bennett said. “Every line is showing up, all our defense, Bobi obviously. But it really has been a full team effort every single night and it makes it a lot easier when you have every guy stepping up and playing like that.”
