Eastern Conference Final Preview: Panthers vs. Hurricanes

For the second time in three seasons, the Carolina Hurricanes and Florida Panthers are set to face off in the Eastern Conference Final. 

Look back at that 2023 playoff meeting, a series sweep for Florida, en route to their first of back-to-back Stanley Cup Final appearances, and you might think the matchup was a lop-sided affair. In reality, though, it was anything but. Each game — starting with a series-opener that required quadruple overtime and ending with a stunning series-winner scored with 4.9 seconds left in Game 4 — came down to a single goal, a single moment that went Florida’s way. 

Can the defending champs run it back, yet again? They were in fine form against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Round 1, making quick work of their Floridian foes with a 4-1 series win before going the distance to topple the Atlantic-leading Toronto Maple Leafs with a dominant Game 7 victory. 

“Dominant” might just be the best descriptor for the Hurricanes’ run so far, too, despite a few less-flattering terms being used to describe their heavy-possession playing style. Carolina’s shutdown-defence and elite special teams (that penalty kill is truly a momentum-killer) paired with a league-high shot count through two rounds, saw them dispatch the Eastern Conference-topping Washington Capitals in five games after doing the same to the New Jersey Devils in Round 1. 

Despite some promising playoff runs of late, all of Carolina’s attempts to make it back to the biggest stage since winning it all in 2006 have been foiled.

Since hoisting the franchise’s first-ever Stanley Cup nearly 20 years ago, the Hurricanes have made it as far as the Eastern Conference Final three times but haven’t won a single game once there. The team was swept by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009, then went winless against the Boston Bruins 10 years later and suffered the same fate against the Panthers in 2023.

Will this year be different, or will it be three straight Cup Final trips for the Cats? 

Head-to-Head Records

Hurricanes: 1-2-0

Panthers: 2-1-0

PLAYOFF TEAM STATS

ADVANCED STATS

Playoff 5-on-5 numbers via Natural Stat Trick

Carolina’s Unsung Hero: Sean Walker

When Hurricanes general manager Eric Tulsky signed defenceman Sean Walker to a five-year, $18-million deal last July, after the club watched cornerstone blue liners Brett Pesce and Brady Skjei get paid elsewhere, he praised his new defenceman as someone whose “offensive abilities are a great fit for our style of play.”

He couldn’t have been more right. Walker has been a seamless fit with Carolina’s system right from the start, and while he may not make many highlight reels for his sound play, he’s striding into the spotlight at the best time. After quietly helping lock down the Devils in Round 1, Walker started flexing his offensive game a little against Washington, contributing a goal and an assist — his first career playoff points — in Game 4 and then setting up Andrei Svechnikov’s game- and series-winner in Game 5. He can step into just about any role, and has excelled on the penalty kill in particular, especially in the wake of Jalen Chatfield’s injury. 

We saw Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour lean on his third-pair defenceman a little more heavily as the second-round series went on, with Walker surpassing 20 minutes of ice time in the third and fifth games, including hitting 23 minutes in Game 5. 

Florida’s Unsung Hero: Nate Schmidt

Speaking of defensive depth, Florida’s own blue line has showcased plenty of that, too. Like Carolina, the Panthers’ defence underwent some important off-season renovations with the departure of key contributors like Brandon Montour and Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Panthers GM Bill Zito’s ability to sign bargains and help them thrive was once again put to the test, and the play of Nate Schmidt has been another success story. 

Schmidt signed a one-year, $800,000 deal with the Panthers last summer after having his contract bought out by the Jets, and has been a solid addition all season at both even strength and on the power play. He was a key offensive contributor early in Round 1 with three goals in two games against Tampa Bay, and against Toronto contributed four helpers through seven games. His stats might not jump off the page, but his steady presence and timely offensive contributions, paired with the physical presence that is Dmitry Kulikov on the Panthers’ third pairing, make him a solid weapon whose skillset could get a little more spotlight time as Florida’s run continues. 

Carolina’s Key Playoff Moment 

With the series tied 1-1 and hitting the midway point of Game 3, it almost appeared as though the Hurricanes were sitting back and watching the game like the rest of us. The Capitals were controlling the play, and had it not been for goaltender Frederik Andersen’s first-period heroics, they might’ve had a commanding lead, too. 

That’s when Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour delivered a strong message to his team — and everyone watching them — during a mid-game bench interview during the broadcast:

"We haven't gotten to (our game) all night. We're hanging in right now," Brind'Amour said when asked about his team’s efforts to that point. "We've got to find another gear."

And maybe they were watching. Because less than three minutes earlier, Carolina sent a strong message of its own to take back control of the game — and, ultimately, the series. First, a booming hit delivered by Jordan Martinook on Tom Wilson brought the home fans to their feet, and then, off an offensive-zone faceoff that followed, Andrei Svechnikov’s game-opening goal kept them there. 

Any ideas of Washington regaining control from that point on were quickly snuffed, along with their offence. Andersen shut the door completely that game with a 4-0 shutout, and allowed just three goals in Games 4 and 5 combined as Carolina wrapped up the series. Safe to say, they found that other gear. 

Florida’s Key Playoff Moment 

Jarring as it is to see Brad Marchand in a sweater not adorned by a spoked B, it wasn’t at all surprising to see the former Bruins captain — and longtime thorn in the Maple Leafs’ side — playing a pivotal role in his rivals’ demise. And we’re not just talking about his three-point effort in Game 7. For the Panthers, the bigger performance might’ve come in Game 3. Down 2-0 in the series and 3-1 early in the second period of Game 3, the Panthers fought back in the middle frame and looked like they might regain control before Morgan Reilly tied things up halfway through the third to send the contest to overtime. 

That’s when Marchand did what Marchand does best. His overtime game-winner saw the Panthers find their footing and sparked what became a three-game win streak to claw back control. Of all the what-ifs going around Toronto in the days after this second-round series, a pivotal overtime period in Game 3, the difference between a 3-0 series lead for the Maple Leafs and a 2-1 spark for Florida, will be a source of much contemplation. 

Carolina will win if… 

Frederik Andersen can stay hot. Of all the battles to take place on this Eastern Conference Final stage, the most enticing one might just be between the men in the blue paint. That might be obvious, but the impact of both Andersen and Sergei Bobrovsky in this post-season so far has been pretty incredible. 

Andersen just held the NHL’s second-hottest offence to seven goals in five games. His .937 save percentage is the best in these playoffs. Bobrovsky, meanwhile, bounced back from allowing 13 goals through the first three games against Toronto to allowing just four goals combined in the four games that followed, including a Game 4 shutout. 

Both are hot at the best possible time. And considering how well these rosters match up on special teams and defensively, this battle could come down to the final line of defence.

Florida will win if… 

They can disrupt Carolina’s system — and fast. 

There’s a certain word going around to describe the Hurricanes’ post-season so far —starts with ‘b’, rhymes with scoring — but their dominant string of wins this spring can be more aptly described by words like “stifling” and “opportunistic” and “lockdown” and, yes, “an-almost-unbeatable-penalty-kill,” if there existed a single word for that. 

All of those things essentially point to Carolina’s ability to set the tone and the pace and take control of a game. The thing is, those are also some of the biggest strengths of Florida’s game plan, too. Neither team gives you much space to play. Both will make you pay for mistakes. 

Fast starts could be key here when it comes to taking control. While the Hurricanes aren’t known for quick starts offensively — they’ve scored just five first-period goals this spring so far — the Panthers can pounce fast. Florida has 11 first-period markers, and they only get better in the frames that follow, having piled up more goals than anyone else this post-season.