Here we are again. For the second time in three years, the Florida Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes will meet in the Eastern Conference Final. The winner will play the Western Conference champion in the Stanley Cup Final. It seems as if destiny pitted these two southern juggernauts together in what promises to be another classic playoff series.
The former Southeast Division rivals met two years ago in this same position. Back then, the Panthers got in the playoffs as the second wild card team, after the Pittsburgh Penguins lost their regular season finale against Chicago. Florida gladly took that and their second-half momentum to turn that into a Cinderella run that made this recent success possible.
In that 2023 playoff series, Florida 'swept' the Hurricanes. That term is used very loosely because it didn't feel like a sweep at all. The Panthers won Game 1 in quadruple overtime with Matthew Tkachuk scoring late in the period. In Game 2, Tkachuk won it again in overtime. Game 3 saw the Cats win by one goal, and finally in Game 4, Matthew Tkachuk forever etched his name in playoff lore with this:
Now, Florida looks to do something that very few teams in the expansion era have done: make three consecutive Stanley Cup Finals. Of course, the Panthers got here by beating Tampa Bay in five games in the first round. In the second round, they took out the Maple Leafs in a Game 7 blowout.
On the other side. Carolina got to this point more easily than their Atlantic Division counterparts. In the opening round, Carolina didn't break a sweat, dispatching the injury-riddled Devils in five games. In the second round, they did the same to the overrated Washington Capitals. So, the stage is set for Game 1 on Tuesday night. Expect this to be another long series.
How To Watch Panthers vs. Hurricanes, Game 1
Date: Tuesday, May 20 Time: 8:00 PM ET Venue: Lenovo Center TV: TNT, MAX
Panthers vs. Hurricanes Odds, Spreads, and Total
Odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook
Puck Line
Florida +1.5 (-250) Carolina -1.5 (+205)
Total
5.5 (over -125/ under +105)
Moneyline
Florida +105 Carolina -125
Florida Panthers Injury Report:
N/A
Carolina Hurricanes Injury Report:
Jalen Chatfield, D: Day-To-Day (undisclosed); Mark Jankowski, C: Day-To-Day (undisclosed); Jesper Fast, RW: IR-LT (Neck)
Florida Panthers Projected Lines:
- 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
- Gustav Forsling- Aaron Ekblad
- Niko Mikkola- Seth Jones
- Nate Schmidt- Dmitry Kulikov
- Sergei Bobrovsky
- Vitek Vanacek
Scratches: Mackie Samoskevich, Nico Sturm, Jesper Boqvist
Carolina Hurricanes Projected Lines:
- Andrei Svechnikov- Sebastian Aho- Seth Jarvis
- Taylor Hall- Jack Roslovic- Logan Stankoven
- Jordan Martinook- Jordan Staal- William Carrier
- Eric Robinson- Jesperi Kotkaniemi- Jackson Blake
- Jaccob Slavin- Brent Burns
- Alexander Nikishin- Dmitry Orlov
- Shayne Gostisbehere- Sean Walker
- Frederik Andersen
- Pyotr Kochetkov
Panthers Keys To the Game
One of the Panthers' biggest problems is that they come out unprepared. This has been the biggest Achilles' heel for the team since this core got together. When the guys are on, they can look and feel unbeatable, due to their style of play. When they are off, everyone sees it. The players need to have their legs ready for this opening game of the series.
In the clinching Game 7 against Toronto, Florida dominated the opening 10 minutes. They established zone time in bunches. They peppered Joseph Woll with good chances early. The Leafs didn't even register a shot attempt during the first 10 minutes. Then, the tides shifted. Toronto looked like the better team in the final 10 minutes of the period.
They were the ones dominating. Toronto was the team that kept the puck in the offensive zone. Florida failed to get clears and Sergei Bobrovsky had to make some stupendous saves to keep the game scoreless. Bob even made saves on a few breakaways that Toronto generated. The Panthers looked sloppy. That can't happen against the Canes. They need to come into the rink with energy and play the entire first period with it, regardless of whether they score or not.
This is an obvious key. The Panthers need to cash in on their power plays when given the chance. Florida has only scored eight power-play goals through 12 playoff games so far. It's more difficult to score on the man-advantage in the postseason, especially when teams emphasize clogging the shooting lanes more. However, Florida's power play has looked lethargic at times.
Sometimes, they take too long to set up. They don't pass the puck quickly enough. The players have hesitated at times to take shots. Then, there have been times when the Cats haven't been able to establish zone time when on the power play. Tampa Bay and especially Toronto have had times clearing the puck out of their zone, rather easily. It will be harder to score on this Carolina penalty kill.
In their first-round series against New Jersey, the Hurricanes didn't allow a Devils goal when they were on the power play. In the second round, they only gave up two power plays to a Capitals team that ranked 13th in power play percentage during the regular season. However, it would be nice to get one of those to go in the back of the net. Just put pressure and make it hard for the penalty kill to do their job. Make them work.
Coming into this series, many people are saying the Panthers are looking themselves in the mirror when they see film of the Hurricanes, and rightfully so. A lot of aspects that Florida finds success in can be said about Carolina as well. This is especially the case when you compare the style of play both teams have. Both teams are very physical, and viewers will see a collection of bone-jarring collisions.
However, the Panthers are a bit bigger when compared to the opposition. Also, the Hurricanes, much like the Maple Leafs, rely on the element of speed to generate scoring chances. They need to do the same things they did against Tampa Bay and Toronto. They have shut down speed and the star players on the other side.
Carolina will want to carry the puck with speed when transitioning into the offensive zone. So, if the Panthers can slow them down by stuttering their progress when entering the zone, that takes away the speed aspect of their game. Fastness is what has made the Carolina Hurricanes one of the best forechecking teams in the NHL. They can get in and behind your defense very quickly.
Florida will play the same five-man unit, and they need to keep the gaps closed off to prevent any danger from happening. Force the opponent to dump the puck in at inopportune times. They will want to fly into the zone. It's up to Florida to take that away from them.
Notes:
- Florida is only the third franchise to win each of its first three road Game 7s (only Pittsburgh and Minnesota have done so) and eighth to win at least three straight road Game 7s at any point, after Pittsburgh (6-0; 1992-2017), Carolina (3-0; 2009-present), NY Rangers (3-0; 2013-2022), Los Angeles (3-0; 2014), Minnesota (3-0; 2003-2014), Montreal (3-0; 2004-2010) and Edmonton (3-0; 1991-1998).
- All four games of the 2023 Conference Finals were decided by one goal. The Panthers and Hurricanes can become the sixth pair of opponents in NHL history to have each of their first five contests in the Stanley Cup Playoffs be decided by one goal. They would join the Maple Leafs and Capitals (6 GP in 2017), Bruins and Senators (6 GP in 2017), Blackhawks and Lightning (5 GP in 2015), Blackhawks and Coyotes (5 GP in 2012), New York Americans and New York Rangers (5 GP from 1929 – 1938) as well as the Canadiens and Blackhawks (5 GP from 1930 – 1931).
- Sergei Bobrovsky (8-2, 1.54 GAA, .945 SV% and 2 SO in CF/SF) can earn his ninth win in the round before the final which would tie Jonathan Quick (9-8) for the second most among active goaltenders behind Andrei Vasilevskiy(18-15).
- Matthew Tkachuk scored three game winners during their previous meeting, including the winning tally in the fourth overtime period of Game 1, marking an end to the sixth-longest contest in NHL playoff history. With another decisive tally this year, he would tie Stephane Richer(4 in 20 GP) for the most game-winning goals against the Hurricanes franchise in the postseason.