Florida Panthers 5 Carolina Hurricanes 2 Final — For the first time in these playoffs, the Carolina Hurricanes find themselves trailing in a series.
The Florida Panthers snatched home-ice advantage and a 1-0 series lead in the Eastern Conference Finals with a 5-2 victory over the Hurricanes on Tuesday at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh.
The Hurricanes have lost 13 straight Eastern Conference Final games over four series.
Carolina had killed 28-of-30 penalties in the postseason, but Florida scored on two of its three chances in Game 1.
Tune into WRAL at 11:25 p.m. for postgame coverage.
Final Score: Florida Panthers 5 Carolina Hurricanes 2.
—.
This is the first time the Carolina Hurricanes have fallen behind in a series during these playoffs.
The Florida Panthers defeated the Hurricanes 5-2 on Tuesday at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh, securing home-ice advantage and a 1-0 series lead in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Carolina had won both of its home games against Washington and New Jersey.
The Hurricanes face a greater challenge from the Panthers, the defending Stanley Cup champions who are vying for a third straight final appearance.
“You have to finish,” said Rod Brind’Amour, the coach for Carolina. Their team is too strong. They will get what they deserve. It might not be many .s when you get your chances because they have some really good high-end scorers. You must figure out how to get it past them. “.”.
Carolina is attempting to win its first conference final since 2006 and make its first Cup appearance since then. During four series, the Hurricanes have dropped 13 consecutive Eastern Conference Final games.
In addition to giving Carolina goalie Frederik Andersen his worst postseason night, Florida scored two power-play goals against the NHL’s top postseason penalty kill and prevented the Hurricanes’ offensive-zone pressure from leading to goals.
According to Brind’Amour, “I think that’s really the difference in the game, you got the two power-play goals.”. “You must eliminate those. It is necessary to give them credit. You can catch them if you give them a chance. “..”.
In the postseason, Carolina had killed 28 out of 30 penalties, but in Game 1, Florida scored on two of its three opportunities. After the whistle blew, Sebastian Aho was given a roughing penalty in response to a hit from Anton Lundell, and Carter Verhaeghe of Florida scored the first goal on the power play 8:30 into the match.
That isn’t possible. “It’s the incorrect call,” Brind’Amour stated. “It should have been 50/50 at the very least. Cross-checking someone in the face and then calling that is not possible. This brings us to the first objective. That will therefore occur. They will miss things. It’s a shame because that puts us somewhat in a difficult situation in the end. “,”.
The score was 4-1 in the third period after Sam Bennett scored on a power play.
Andersen gave up five goals on 20 shots against Florida, but he hadn’t given up three goals in regulation in any of his nine postseason games this season. He had a 1 point 36 goals against average going into the series.
Florida’s Aaron Ekblad scored on a shot from the right faceoff . following a defensive zone turnover by Jordan Staal four minutes after Verhaeghe had opened the scoring.
When Aho used his right skate to deflect a pass from Seth Jarvis past Florida goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, a Hurricanes killer in the 2023 game, Carolina took the lead with 14:08 seconds remaining in the first period.
Whatever momentum the Hurricanes had was short-lived. The A for Florida. J. In a 2-on-1 matchup with defenseman Scott Morrow, who made his playoff debut in lieu of Jalen Chatfield, who missed his second straight game due to an undisclosed injury, Greer opened the second period with a goal off a pass from Niko Mikkola just 3:33 into the period.
Florida scored its second power play goal after Morrow was given a delay of game penalty. In less than twelve minutes of ice time, Morrow was minus three.
According to Brind’Amour, Chatfield’s condition for Thursday’s Game 2 is questionable. If Chatfield is sidelined, rookie Alexander Nikishin, who participated in the second round’s finale, might be a viable option once more.
At that point, the score was 3-1, but in the third period, Bennett and Eetu Luostarinen increased the lead to 5-1 before Jackson Blake of Carolina scored the game’s final goal.
“We need to improve,” Staal stated.
Following their victory in Game 7 in Toronto on Sunday, the Panthers took a direct flight to Carolina. The Canes won in Washington on Thursday to complete their series. However, Florida was somewhat sharper for the majority of the evening.
After rushing at Carolina’s Shayne Gostisbehere in the third period, Brad Marchand of Florida—who was acquired from Boston during the trade deadline—was given a game misconduct penalty. In response to Gostisbehere hitting him with a puck shortly after March and missing Gostisbehere with an elbow, the two got into a fight.
“Heated,” said Gostisbehere following the match. “I was actually pretty mad. He attempted to attack me. The puck was aimed at him. It’s just what it is. had a brief altercation. “,”.
In Raleigh, Game 2 is on Thursday.
Hurricanes of Carolina vs. The Florida Panthers.
Game 1: Carolina 2, Florida 5.
Game 2: Thursday, May 22, 8 p.m., at Carolina. M. (TNT, The Fan, 99.9).
Game 3: Saturday, May 24, 8 p.m., at Florida. M. (99.9 The Fan, TNT).
Game 4: Monday, May 26, 8 p.m., at Florida. A. (TNT, The Fan, 99.9).
Game 5 will take place at Carolina (if needed) on Wednesday, May 28 at 8 p.m. A. (99.9 The Fan, TNT).
Game 6 will take place at Florida (if needed) on Friday, May 30, at 8 p.m. A. (The Fan, TNT, 99.9).
if needed, Game 7 at Carolina on Sunday, June 1 at 8:00 p.m. m. (The Fan, TNT, 99.9).
Following every playoff game, former NHL player Shane Willis will provide insider analysis by Chris Lea and Pat Welter of WRAL, breaking down the most significant moments. Watch WRAL starting at 11:25 p.m. m. to cover the game after it’s over.
