The Eastern Conference final is set. What you need to know about Panthers-Hurricanes
The Florida Panthers are back in the Eastern Conference final for a third consecutive season.
Their opponent this time around? The same one they played the first year of this stretch in the Carolina Hurricanes
The Hurricanes will have home-ice advantage, hosting Games 1, 2, 5 (if necessary) and 7 (if necessary). The Panthers would host Games 3, 4 and 6 (if necessary).
Here’s everything you need to know about the matchup.
How did the Panthers and Hurricanes advance to the Eastern Conference final?
The Panthers, who finished third in the Atlantic Division, made it to the third round of the postseason by defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning in five games in Round 1 and the Toronto Maple Leafs in seven games in Round 2. Each series was a rematch of a previous playoff series from the past two years (Tampa Bay in 2024, Toronto in 2023).
The Hurricanes, who finished second in the Metropolitan Division, defeated the New Jersey Devils in the first round and the Washington Capitals in the second round. Each series went five games.
When will the games be played and where will they be televised?
The schedule is as follows...
▪ Game 1: Tuesday, May 20, 8 p.m., TNT, truTV, Max, Raleigh’s Lenovo Center
▪ Game 2: Thursday, May 22, 8 p.m., TNT, truTV, Max, Raleigh’s Lenovo Center
▪ Game 3: Saturday, May 24, 8 p.m., TNT, truTV, Max, Sunrise’s Amerant Bank Arena
▪ Game 4: Monday, May 26, 8 p.m., TNT, truTV, Max, Sunrise’s Amerant Bank Arena
▪ Game 5 (if necessary): Wednesday, May 28, 8 p.m., TNT, truTV, Max, Raleigh’s Lenovo Center
▪ Game 6 (if necessary): Friday, May 30, 8 p.m., TNT, truTV, Max, Sunrise’s Amerant Bank Arena
▪ Game 7 (if necessary): Sunday, June 1, 8 p.m., TNT, truTV, Max, Raleigh’s Lenovo Center
How did the regular-season series between the Panthers and Hurricanes unfold?
Florida went 2-1-0 in three games against Carolina during the regular season. The Panthers won 6-3 on Nov. 29 and 6-0 on Nov 30 while losing 3-1 on Jan. 2.
What is the playoff history between the Panthers and Hurricanes?
Florida and Carolina met in the 2023 Eastern Conference final. The Panthers swept the series, with each game decided by one goal. This including a four-overtime marathon in the series opener, another overtime win in Game 2 and a thrilling 4-3 win in Game 4 in which Matthew Tkachuk scored the game-winner in the final five seconds of regulation.
Who are the players to watch from the Florida Panthers?
▪ Defenseman Seth Jones: Jones already has six points (three goals, three assists) through 12 games and is averaging 25:45 of ice time this postseason.
▪ Forward Eetu Luostarinen: He’s not the flashiest name, but he’s coming up in big moments. Luostarinen is thriving on the Panthers’ third line with Anton Lundell and Brad Marchand. He has 12 points this postseason, 11 of which have come on the road. Seven of those points came in Florida’s series-clinching wins — four in the deciding game against Tampa Bay and three in Game 7 against Toronto.
▪ Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky: The veteran netminder was stellar to close out Florida’s series against Toronto. After giving up 13 goals in the first three games, Bobrovsky allowed just four goals on 92 shots over Games 4-7.
Who are the players to watch from the Hurricanes?
▪ Forward Andrei Svechnikov: The Russian winger leads Carolina with eight goals, seven of which are at even strength, and three game-winning goals this postseason.
▪ Defenseman Jaccob Slavin: The 31-year-old leads a blueline that has been very adept as suppressing opponent’s scoring chances this playoffs. In addition to leading Carolina in average time on ice (23:33), he also has four points through 10 games.
▪ Goaltender Frederik Andersen: He missed a majority of the regular season due to a blood clot issue, but has found his form in the postseason. Andersen is 7-2 in nine games played while posting a .937 save percentage and stellar 1.36 goals against average.
Who would the winner of the Panthers-Hurricanes matchup face in the Stanley Cup Final?
The winner of the Panthers-Hurricanes series would face the winner of Dallas Stars-Edmonton Oilers Western Conference final matchup in the Stanley Cup Final.
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