Both teams faced each other in the Eastern Conference Finals just two years ago. The Cats swept the Canes in four games the last time they met in the postseason.
Florida tied a Stanley Cup Playoffs record with 38 goals in their first eight postseason road games. The Colorado Avalanche accomplished it in 2022 on their way to a Stanley Cup title.
Carolina were defeated at home for the first time in the postseason this year. The Hurricanes lost their 13th consecutive Eastern Conference Finals game. The last time they won a third-round contest was Game 7 in the 2006 Eastern Conference Finals against the Buffalo Sabres.
Florida moved out to a 1-0 lead with a power-play goal at the 8:30 mark of the first period. Matthew Tkachuk sent the puck from the right corner to Aleksander Barkov on the right wing. He centered it and Carter Verhaeghe backhanded a shot from the right of the crease past Frederik Andersen for his fifth playoff goal.
The Cats expanded their lead to 2-0 with 7:31 left in the first. Jordan Staal overskated and lost the puck deep in his own zone. Evan Rodrigues carried it behind the cage and passed the puck from the end wall. Aaron Ekblad snapped a shot from the left-circle dot for his third postseason goal.
Carolina scored with 14.8 seconds remaining in the period to make it 2-1. Andrei Svechnikov made a square pass from the top left circle and Seth Jarvis shot the puck from the high slot. It went off the right skate of Sebastian Aho in the low slot and past Sergei Bobrovsky for his fourth goal in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
In the second period, the Cats increased their lead to 3-1 at 3:33. Tomas Nosek angled a backhand pass from the right point. Niko Mikkola connected a cross-ice pass from the low right circle and A.J. Greer placed in a snap shot from the left of the crease for his second tally this postseason.
The Panthers made it 4-1 with the man advantage at the 6:08 mark of the third period. Florida scored on their first shot on goal in a 15 minute and four second span. Rodrigues left the puck at the right point and Sam Bennett got his seventh playoff goal as he snapped a shot from the top of the zone. Verhaeghe was credited with an assist on the play.
It became 5-1 for Florida with 5:05 to go in the third. Gustav Forsling cycled the puck from the left point. Nosek backhanded a pass from behind the net and Eetu Luostarinen took a one-time forehand shot from the low left circle for his fourth goal in the postseason.
The Hurricanes closed it to 5-2 on the power play with 3:41 remaining in the contest. Shayne Gostisbehere passed from the top of the zone and Jackson Blake poked the puck from the high slot. Jarvis returned the puck with a backhand pass from the left goal line. Blake put in his third goal of the playoffs on a wrist shot from the blue paint.
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