Florida Panthers Defeat Carolina Hurricanes 5-3 in Game 5, Advance to Stanley Cup Final

For the third consecutive year, the Florida Panthers are heading back to the Stanley Cup Final. Their qualification path on Wednesday night was not easy.

Florida managed to overcome an early 2-0 deficit in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final, ultimately defeating the Carolina Hurricanes by a score of 5-3. Fueled by their home crowd, the Hurricanes had a strong start, with Sebastian Aho scoring twice in the opening period to give Carolina a 2-0 lead at the first intermission.

However, the Panthers then elevated their game, and that marked the end of Carolina`s momentum. Just over seven minutes into the second period (at 7:23), Matthew Tkachuk sparked Florida with a power play goal tipped into the net, getting his team on the scoreboard.

Tkachuk`s goal initiated a scoring burst for Florida, who netted three goals within a span of 4:26. The Panthers took the lead when Anton Lundell outmaneuvered Aho to position himself in front of the net, redirecting a perfect pass from Brad Marchand.

Carolina attempted to mount a comeback in the third period. An aggressive forecheck resulted in Seth Jarvis executing a beautiful shot over the shoulder of Sergei Bobrovsky, tying the game at 3-3.

That tying goal infused both the Hurricanes team and the Lenovo Center arena with much-needed energy. But it proved temporary.

Less than four minutes later, Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov produced the decisive play of the night. He muscled past Carolina defenseman Dmitry Orlov, deked around Eric Robinson, and found Carter Verhaeghe at the back door for the game-winning goal.

Barkov also registered an assist on Sam Bennett`s empty-net goal, making him one of four Panthers stars with multiple points in the game. Bennett, along with Reinhart and Tkachuk, also had multi-point performances.

The Panthers have now become only the fourth team since 1980 to reach the Stanley Cup Final in three consecutive years. They join an elite group including the New York Islanders, Edmonton Oilers, and Tampa Bay Lightning.

Consistent with their approach last season before winning the Cup, the Panthers players did not touch the Prince of Wales Trophy during the on-ice ceremony. A more significant trophy is their ultimate goal, potentially in a rematch of last year`s Final against the Edmonton Oilers. The Oilers currently hold a 3-1 lead over the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference Final and had a chance to clinch in Game 5 on Thursday night.

Meanwhile, this marks the second time in the last three years that the Carolina Hurricanes have been eliminated in the Eastern Conference Final. Their recent record in conference final appearances stands at 1-16.

Eastern Conference Final Results