The Panthers are absolute road warriors this season, something that’s important for them this year as they don’t have home ice advantage in any series they play. Another dominant win from Florida puts them six wins away from repeating as Stanley Cup Champions. As the series moves to Sunrise, all eyes are going to be on the Cats as a hit from Sebastian Aho knocked Sam Reinhart out of Game 2 in the first period. As of Friday, there’s no update, and HC Paul Maurice said Sam would be examined when they get back to Sunrise, so a potential update could come Saturday as to the severity. I think it’s fair to assume he won’t be playing Game 3 based on how Aho made contact with Reinhart’s knee. Florida’s second line had their best game of the playoffs with a combined three goals and five assists. Bobrovsky recorded his third shutout of these playoffs and the sixth shutout of his career. This series is shaping up to be more physical as the Hurricanes have tried to match Florida’s physicality in the first two games.
No Breaks All Gas:
Hope you’re fully onboard for the ride Florida’s taking you on, because this team shows no signs of slowing down. On the back of an outstanding night from the second line, the Cats put up another five-goal performance and caused Carolina to make a goaltending change partway through the game. Forsling broke the ice early for his first goal of the playoffs and making him the seventh defenseman to score for Florida this postseason to tie the NHL record. Pressure from Forsling and Bennett near the boards forced a turnover. Bennett got the puck to Tkachuk, who made the pass to an open Forsling in the high slot. Forsling then ripped it home for the 1-0 lead just 1:17 into the period. Verhaeghe’s work around the net led to the tap-in goal by Tkachuk roughly ten minutes later; Mikkola got the secondary assist. Then, on their first power play of the night, the second unit made it a 3-0 lead off a Bennett tip-in of Verhaeghe’s shot from the top of the faceoff circle. Things stayed 3-0 until late into the second period when Verhaeghe picked up the rebound of Ekblad’s shot. Carter then dished the puck to Bennett, who drove to the net and scored his second goal of the game, making it a 4-0 lead heading into the final period; this was the first multi-goal game by a Panther since Game 1 against Tampa Bay. With less than half to play in the 3rd period, Barkov made a beautiful tip-in on Ekblad’s shot for the final 5-0 score. Florida is currently averaging 3.93 G/GP and has outscored their opponents 22-4 in their last four road games. They also set a new NHL record for most goals scored in the first nine road games at 43; Colorado was the previous record holder at 41, set during their 2022 Cup Run.
May 22nd: Sergei Bobrovsky Day:
If you’re playing against Sergei Bobrovsky on May 22nd, your chances of scoring apparently drop dramatically. For the third straight year, Bob has recorded a shutout when playing on that date, and it’s the second time he’s shut out the Hurricanes in that span. In 2023, Bob shut out Carolina in Game 3, in 2024 he shut out the Rangers in Game 1, and now in 2025 he’s shut out the Canes again in Game 2. And in another one of those odd stats that happen sometimes, for the third straight series, Florida’s second win was a shutout thought by a wider margin this time. It was a quieter night for Bob as he faced only 17 shots, but the Canes still had a couple of chances near the blue paint that needed Sergei to be on his A-game. Bob’s track record in the Eastern Conference Finals continues to be stellar as he owns the lowest career GAA (1.58) and highest save percentage (.958) in the history of the conference finals with a minimum of 10 games played. That type of consistency is why all the Panthers players say that they have complete confidence in Bob in net. Even when he has bad games, which does happen, he usually bounces back quickly. Bob’s been especially good after goals he doesn’t like go in, just look at Game 1, where he was clearly of the opinion that the puck was kicked in and shouldn’t have counted.
Physically Demanding:
Florida’s style of play is both simple and demanding, with relentless forechecking. Carolina has been trying to match that in the first two games of the series with mild success. The eye test would say that Florida and Carolina play a similar style, but the Cats do it better. There have been big hits from both teams as each side tries to establish its will over the other. The Panthers have had much more success in that area, but the Canes have done their best to answer blow for blow. The most controversial hit from Game 2 was Aho on Reinhart; no penalty was called, and there’s likely not to be any supplemental discipline. Mikkola threw a hit on Jarvis that sent him to the dressing room in the third. Florida’s entire fourth line is just big guys who check hard and aren’t afraid to throw the body in any situation. The Panthers held a 56-42 advantage in hits. Carolina’s been aggressive in getting to the net and around the blue paint. The Cats did a great job of limiting those chances in Game 2 as opposed to Game 1. It wouldn’t be a surprise if a long series resulted in more injuries, but hopefully that’s not something we see.
ITR 45: Everything Is Happening – Inside The Rink
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