The excitement of ice hockey is at its peak! Following the Florida Panthers’ victory in Game 7 against the Toronto Maple Leafs, the NHL finals have their contenders defined. The current champions, the Panthers, will face the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference final. Meanwhile, the Dallas Stars will face the Edmonton Oilers in the Western Conference final.
This Eastern Conference matchup is a rematch of the 2023 conference final, where the Panthers swept the Hurricanes. Can the Hurricanes change history this time, or will the Panthers return to the Stanley Cup Final for the third consecutive year?
Carolina Hurricanes vs. Florida Panthers: Key Facts
Get ready for action with the most relevant data for this exciting series.
Carolina Hurricanes
Vs.
Florida Panthers
Conference Finals Paths
- Hurricanes: Defeated the Devils in five games, the Capitals in five.
- Panthers: Beat the Lightning in five games, the Maple Leafs in seven.
Playoff Points Leaders
- Hurricanes: Seth Jarvis (4 goals, 6 assists), Sebastian Aho (3 goals, 7 assists).
- Panthers: Brad Marchand (3 goals, 9 assists), Eetu Luostarinen (3 goals, 9 assists).
Series Calendar
- Game 1: Panthers at Hurricanes | May 20, 8 p.m.
- Game 2: Panthers at Hurricanes | May 22, 8 p.m.
- Game 3: Hurricanes at Panthers | May 24, 8 p.m.
- Game 4: Hurricanes at Panthers | May 26, 8 p.m.
- Game 5: Panthers at Hurricanes | May 28, 8 p.m.
- Game 6: Hurricanes at Panthers | May 30, 8 p.m.
- Game 7: Panthers at Hurricanes | June 1, 8 p.m.
Series Probabilities
- Panthers: -125
- Hurricanes: +105
Stanley Cup Odds
- Panthers: +250
- Hurricanes: +300
Notes on the Confrontation
Hurricanes
The Hurricanes reach their sixth conference final in franchise history and the third in the last six years. They have tied the Oilers, Lightning, and Golden Knights for second place with the most conference final appearances since 2019. The Stars lead with four appearances.
Logan Stankoven is expected to make his debut in the Eastern Conference Final. He would join Ville Leino as the only players to participate in both the Eastern and Western Conference Finals in their first two NHL seasons (since 1994).
The Hurricanes have lost 12 consecutive games in the conference finals round. Their last victory was in 2006 against the Buffalo Sabres. The streak includes the Panthers’ sweep in 2023.
Carolina has won 10 playoff series under Brind’Amour since 2019; only the Lightning (11) have more series wins during that period.
Andrei Svechnikov’s series-clinching goal is the second-latest goal in franchise history to secure a series. Eric Staal scored at 19:28 of the third period in Game 7 of the 2009 first-round series against the New Jersey Devils.
By winning the series against Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals, the Hurricanes became the first team to eliminate the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer since 1997.
Panthers
The Panthers advanced to their third consecutive conference final. They join the Stars (2023-25), Lightning (2020-22), Blackhawks (2013-15), Kings (2012-14) and Red Wings (2007-09) as the only teams in the salary cap era (since 2005-06) to reach three consecutive conference finals.
Florida was down 2-0 in the series before rallying to win 4-3, the first time they have overcome a 2-0 deficit in a best-of-seven playoff series. The Panthers are the seventh reigning Stanley Cup champions in the NHL’s expansion era (since 1967-68) to win a best-of-seven playoff round after facing a 2-0 deficit.
The Panthers now have a 4-1 record in Game 7s, including 3-0 on the road, becoming the third franchise to win each of their first three road Game 7s (along with the Penguins and Wild).
Brad Marchand had three points for the Panthers (one goal, two assists), giving him 10 career points in Game 7s, surpassing Alex Ovechkin (eight) for the most points in Game 7s among active players, and tying Paul Stastny and Jari Kurri for tenth all-time. Marchand’s three points give him 37 career playoff points against the Maple Leafs.
Panthers coach Paul Maurice also remained perfect in Game 7s as a head coach, improving to 6-0. He is one of two head coaches in NHL history to win each of his first six Game 7s of his career.
