RALEIGH, N.C. – Sam Bennett shined with two goals, contributing to the Panthers’ 5-0 victory over the Hurricanes in the second game of the Eastern Conference final. The match, played on Thursday night, puts Florida with a 2-0 lead in the series. Sergei Bobrovsky, with 17 saves, secured the net, achieving his third shutout in this year’s playoffs and the sixth of his career. Gustav Forsling and Matthew Tkachuk also scored in a dominant first period for the current Stanley Cup champions. Carter Verhaeghe stood out with three assists. Bennett sealed his brace on the scoreboard at the end of the second period, making it 4-0, while Aleksander Barkov added a goal in the third period.
Florida’s defense limited the Hurricanes, who are usually strong on offense, denying them clear scoring opportunities.
Following the initial 5-2 victory on Tuesday, the Panthers consolidated their dominance in the series. Now, they return south for the third game on Saturday night.
The defeat was especially hard for the Hurricanes, marking their fourteenth consecutive loss in a conference final.
Carolina struggled on offense, with only three shots in the first period and seven in the first two. Although Sebastian Aho scored in the second period, the goal was disallowed for offside.
In the third period, Frederik Andersen was replaced by Pyotr Kochetkov in Carolina’s net.
A concerning piece of news for Florida was the injury of Sam Reinhart, who left the game in the first period after receiving a hit from Aho on his left leg.
