Stanley Cup Trophy — Courtesy: Shutterstock — Leonard Zhukovsky
In a Game 5 defeat in the Eastern Conference playoffs, the Carolina Hurricanes’ season came to an end. It was simply another Wednesday for the Florida Panthers.
With a 5-3 victory, the Panthers advanced to their third consecutive Stanley Cup Final after overcoming a 2-0 deficit in the first period, having Carter Verhaeghe score the game-winning goal with 7:39 remaining in regulation, and ending a Hurricanes power play with three minutes remaining after Carolina’s goalie pulled.
According to Florida coach Paul Maurice, the playoff game was exciting and intense, with “all the elements that make our sport great.” The defending Stanley Cup champions, however, celebrated as usual.
They avoided any boisterous on-ice celebration but instead applauded goalie Sergei Bobrovsky. Wearing their conference champion headgear was the Panthers’ most joyous gesture, however Verhaeghe made a jest that they would decide to leave their helmets on if they won a fourth consecutive conference title the following season.
Forward Matthew Tkachuk remarked, “I remember a few years ago it felt like such an accomplishment.” “This year, it’s all business.”
After winning the Prince of Wales Trophy in 2023, the Panthers declined to touch it for the second consecutive year. They defeated the Edmonton Oilers to win their first Cup in 2024 after losing to the Vegas Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup Final that year.
“It was successful last year. Thus, the same thing happened this year,” stated Captain Aleksander Barkov. “As a hockey player, this is where you want to be. We’re here for the third consecutive year, and you want to play for the Stanley Cup. Although that’s a fantastic accomplishment, we all understand that our goal is to earn the greater prizes.
The Panthers overcame a terrible start to the game, which saw Carolina grab a 2-0 lead on two goals from Sebastian Aho, thanks to their businesslike attitude. After scoring first in Game 4 to force the series back to Raleigh, Carolina was 6-0 in this postseason.
We’re serving pizzas, and they’re all over us. It doesn’t appear that we should have qualified for the playoffs. The next thing you know, we appear to be in an excellent shape,” Maurice remarked.
Center Jesperi Kotkaniemi took an unwise offensive zone holding penalty behind the play after Carolina failed to extend the advantage on a power play early in the second period. 16 seconds into the subsequent power play, Tkachuk sliced the deficit in half by tipping in a shot from Aaron Ekblad. For the Panthers, it was their first power-play goal in 11 chances throughout the previous three games.
One goal led to other goals, as the Panthers are known for. Half a minute after Tkachuk’s goal, Evan Rodrigues scored his first goal of the playoffs. Tkachuk took a hit along the boards close to the benches and delivered the puck to Sam Bennett. Rodrigues poked the puck through Frederik Andersen to knot the game after getting inside Carolina rookie defenceman Alexander Nikishin.
During the game, Rodrigues was shifted back to a line alongside Tkachuk and Bennett. “The message in between periods was just that, if we got one, we felt pretty good that we had a good chance of coming back,” he said. “No tension existed. It was not a quiet room. “Get one and see where this takes us,” it said.
It gave Florida the game’s first lead. Center Anton Lundell earned inside position on Aho to offer Brad Marchand a target with his wing pass just 4:06 after Rodrigues’ goal. The Panthers had a 3-2 lead when Lundell tipped it home.
“In these circumstances, we feel at ease. “You see the various ways that momentum swings can occur throughout a game and how you can take advantage of that when you’ve been through it before and reached the end,” Marchand said. “We were completely unfazed, even after they scored that goal in the third. We simply persisted in our efforts.
At 8:30 in the third period, the Hurricanes received the much-needed break. The crowd was rekindled when Andrei Svechnikov’s excellent forecheck sent a bounce pass to an on-rushing Seth Jarvis, who flipped the puck past Bobrovsky to knot the score 3-3 after Gustav Forsling and Sam Reinhart both failed to clear the puck.
However, the series’ strongest offensive play came from Florida captain Barkov. Dmitry Orlov, the defenseman for Carolina, was all over him as he handled the puck in the attacking zone. In the playoffs, he deked around forward Eric Robinson and slid the ball to Verhaeghe, who scored the game-winning goal.
With his 12th career game-winning goal in the playoffs, Verhaeghe surpassed Tkachuk, the next-closest player in Panthers history, by a margin of two. It was his third career series-winning goal.
“That clutch gene is in him. important objectives at important moments. “That’s his identity,” Rodrigues remarked.
“Wonderful, enormous goal. goal that won the Eastern Conference, so it’s a huge deal there,” Tkachuk stated.
This time, though, the Panthers needed a little bit more from their penalty kill. With three minutes remaining and Florida ahead 4-3, Bennett took a slashing penalty. After Carolina withdrew Andersen, the Panthers’ penalty kill, spearheaded by Bobrovsky, was able to keep the puck out of the net until Bennett came out of the penalty box to score the game-winning goal.
On Wednesday, the Hurricanes’ power play went 0-for-6.
“That was the murderer. There will undoubtedly be a few missed opportunities when you reflect on this game,” Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour stated.
The 20-save Bobrovsky described it as a “privilege” to return to the Stanley Cup Final for the third consecutive year.
“That is something we value and appreciate. However, we still have the most crucial step to take. It will be difficult,” he remarked.
The Oilers have a 3-1 series lead against the Stars and will play Game 5 in Dallas on Thursday. The Panthers will face the victor of the Western Conference finals. The Panthers will start the series on the road, which may be precisely where they want to be, regardless of who they play.
Florida has outscored opponents 27–7 and scored at least five goals in each of their last five away victories.
The Panthers are 3-0 on the road and 0-2 at home in series-clinching chances this postseason. They became the first team to lose several home-clinching chances on their way to the Stanley Cup Final, joining the 2009 Pittsburgh Penguins. Four teams have won the Stanley Cup without winning any series at home since the playoffs were extended to four complete rounds in 1980.
For the Panthers, it will be business as usual wherever and whenever they begin the next round.
“Two years ago, things were very different. We had never seen it before,” Tkachuk remarked. “We will be well-prepared for anyone we face. This is not our first time dealing with it.
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Born and raised in South Florida, Krystal is a recent graduate from the University of Miami with professional writing experience at the collegiate and national news outlet levels. She’s a foodie who loves all things travel, the beach, & visiting new places throughout Florida.