The Florida Panthers have secured their spot in the Stanley Cup Final for the third year running. Their victory on Wednesday night was a hard-fought battle.
Florida successfully overcame an early 2-0 deficit in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final, ultimately defeating the Carolina Hurricanes by a score of 5-3. Boosted by their home crowd, the Hurricanes started strong, with Sebastian Aho scoring two goals in the opening period to give Carolina a 2-0 lead heading into the first intermission.
However, the Panthers turned the tide decisively after that. Just over seven minutes into the second period, Matthew Tkachuk sparked Florida`s comeback by tipping in a power play goal, getting his team on the scoreboard.
Tkachuk`s goal initiated a rapid scoring sequence for Florida, with three goals netted in just 4 minutes and 26 seconds. The Panthers took the lead when Anton Lundell got to the net front ahead of Aho to convert a perfect pass.
Carolina showed resilience in the third period. A strong forecheck led to Seth Jarvis executing a beautiful shot over Sergei Bobrovsky`s shoulder, leveling the score at 3-3.
That goal injected energy back into both the Hurricanes team and the arena, but it was short-lived.
Less than four minutes later, Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov made the pivotal play of the game. He out-muscled Carolina defenseman Dmitry Orlov, deked past Eric Robinson, and found Carter Verhaeghe at the backdoor for the decisive game-winning goal.
Barkov also contributed an assist on Sam Bennett`s empty-net goal, making him one of four Panthers players to record multiple points in the game. Bennett, Reinhart, and Tkachuk were the others.
This achievement makes the Panthers just the fourth team since 1980 to reach the Stanley Cup Final in three consecutive years. They join the ranks of the New York Islanders, Edmonton Oilers, and Tampa Bay Lightning.
Just like last season when they went on to win the Cup, the Panthers chose not to touch the Prince of Wales Trophy presented after the win. Their sights are set on the ultimate prize. A potential Cup rematch looms with the Edmonton Oilers, who currently hold a 3-1 lead over the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference Final. The Oilers have a chance to clinch their spot in Game 5 on Thursday night.
Meanwhile, the Carolina Hurricanes have now been eliminated in the Eastern Conference Final twice in the past three seasons. Their record in their last four conference final appearances stands at 1-16.
Eastern Conference Final Results
- Game 1: Panthers 5, Hurricanes 2 | Recap
- Game 2: Panthers 5, Hurricanes 0 | Recap
- Game 3: Panthers 6, Hurricanes 2 | Recap
- Game 4: Hurricanes 3, Panthers 0 | Recap
- Game 5: Panthers 5, Hurricanes 3 | Recap
