‘We Want To Keep Going’: Panthers Untroubled With Quick Turnaround To Start Eastern Conference Final vs Hurricanes
There was little time for the Panthers to bask in the excitement of Sunday’s 6-1 Game 7 win in Toronto.
Less than 48 hours after knocking out the Maple Leafs in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Florida will take the ice in the Eastern Conference Final for a third-consecutive season. And for the second time over that span, their opponent will be the Carolina Hurricanes.
“I think it’s kind of nice when you get only one day off in between (Game 7 and the start of a new series),” Panthers forward Carter Verhaeghe said. “You’re kind of still in that do-or-die mindset and I think that’s kind of what the playoffs are all about. It keeps you in it.”
Florida swept Carolina in a highly-entertaining yet draining Conference Finals matchup. Matthew Tkachuk took the spotlight in the series two years ago; the Panthers’ star forward had the winning goal in quadruple overtime of Game 1, which was the sixth longest game in NHL history (139:47 game duration). Tkachuk scored the OT winner again in Game 2, this time doing it less than two minutes into the first extra period. He played hero once more after scoring the series winning goal in Game 4 with four seconds to go in regulation, leading the Panthers to its first Stanley Cup Final appearance since 1996.
Carolina comes into the Conference Finals a tad bit fresher than their opponents after winning each of the past two series in five games, defeating the New Jersey Devils in round one and the Eastern Conference — regular season — winning Washington Capitals in round two — with clincher being of May 15, five days before the ECF. Florida also won their first round series in five games against the Tampa Bay Lightning before going all the way to Game 7 against Toronto, just two nights before Game 1 vs the Hurricanes.
Despite the quick turnaround and less rest days compared to their opponent, the Panthers are more than content to keep the gears going into the next round.
“I would schedule it exactly as it is now given the choice,” Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said. “We’ve been through a Game 7 before. Last thing that we would want to do is play Game 7 in Toronto and play [again] in two days. You can’t fly home, get on a plane and fly back. Now the emotion and everything comes right out of it. We want to keep going.”
He added: “We played nine games in 15 days at the end of the season. We just played three games in a row and had two days off at the start of it. This is the lightest schedule we’ve had this year. Like, we’re fine.”
History will look back on the series two years ago and see the Hurricanes didn’t win a single game. But that matchup was closer than the final results show. Each game was settled by one goal, with three of those coming down to the final shot of the night.
“I don’t think really anybody enjoys playing Carolina,” Tkachuk said on Monday during ECF media day. “They are a tough team to play against and they make it hard on you every game.
“But yeah, there were good memories here in this building a couple years ago and [in] that whole series for us, but it’s all back to zeros now. It’s a new year. New series.”
The Panthers are looking to win the Prince of Wales Trophy and reach the Stanley Cup Final for a third year in a row, while the Hurricanes are trying to take the next step after losing in the ECF twice in the previous six seasons.
“They play a hard-nosed in your face kind of game,” Panthers forwards Evan Rodrigues said of the Hurricanes. “It’s not going to be pretty. It’s not going to be cute.”
Offensive contributions have come across the board for the Hurricanes this playoff run. Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis are tied for the scoring lead with 10 points a piece, while Andrei Svechnikov is right under them with nine points — eight of those being goals (second most in 2025 playoffs).
“They play a simple game, there’s no secret plays, no things like that,” Panthers defenseman Seth Jones said of Carolina. “They’re a very straight forward hockey team… they’re in your face. Their penalty kill is great — in your face. There’s not a lot of space out there, it’s kind of a similar style to [what] we play. I think you’re going to see two similar styles going at it.”
Arguably the most impressive piece of Carolina’s puzzle this postseason has been its stellar goaltending. Frederik Andersen far and away has the best stats among any goalie in the playoffs, posting a 1.36 GAA and .937 save percentage in nine starts.
Similar to the squad in Raleigh, the defending champions have seen a well balanced team effort thus far in the playoffs. 17 different players scored at least one goal through the first two rounds for the Panthers. Sam Bennett leads the team with 6 goals, while Eetu Luostarinen and in-season trade acquisition Brad Marchand tied with a team-leading 12 points.
As the higher-seed, Carolina will host the first two games of the 2025 Eastern Conference Final. Puck drop for Game 1 is set for Tuesday, 8 p.m. EST from the Lenovo Center in Raleigh, NC.