Panthers vs Hurricanes: Game 2 Preview, Key Players, and Key Statistics

The first game of the Eastern Conference Finals was a success for the Florida Panthers. For the Carolina Hurricanes? Not so much.

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Match Notes Current Annotation Leaders

Following a 5-2 victory, the Panthers have a 1-0 lead and are preparing for Game 2 on Thursday night.

Will the Hurricanes be able to react before the series moves to South Florida? Below, we analyze the key players, the details of the matchup, and the most relevant statistics for Game 2.

Match Notes

Florida Panthers vs. Carolina Hurricanes

Game 2 | 8 p.m. ET | TNT

With the Panthers leading 1-0, they are now favored at -250 to win the Eastern Conference Finals, while the Hurricanes are at +200. The Panthers have the lowest odds to win the Stanley Cup, at +160, while the Canes have the highest, at +500.

The Panthers have scored 38 road goals this postseason, tying the 2022 Avalanche for the most through a team’s first eight road games in a single postseason. They have outscored their opponents 17-4 on the road in their last three road games. Those 17 goals are their most in a three-game road span in a single postseason in franchise history.

The Game 1 loss was the Hurricanes’ 13th consecutive loss in conference finals, dating back to 2009. This extends the longest streak in NHL history of losses in the round prior to the Stanley Cup Final.

Aaron Ekblad’s goal in Game 1 gives the Panthers 12 goals from their defensemen this postseason. That’s four more than any other team, and ties the franchise record for most goals in a single playoff run (in both 2023 and 2024).

With his seventh goal of the postseason, Sam Bennett became the third Panther to score seven or more goals in consecutive playoff runs, joining Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Reinhart (who accomplished it in 2023 and 2024).

The Hurricanes’ penalty kill was a strength before the conference finals: they allowed two power-play goals in 30 opportunities. That was not the case in Game 1, as they allowed two goals in three opportunities.

Sebastian Aho joined an impressive list with his Game 1 goal: he is now tied for the most goals in series-opening games in Whalers/Hurricanes history (with five). The others on the list are Ray Whitney, Andrei Svechnikov, and his head coach, Rod Brind’Amour.