Florida Panthers are back in the Stanley Cup Final with a chance to defend their NHL title
By Associated Press
May 29, 2025 at 12:40 AM EDT
For the sixth straight season, the Eastern Conference's path to the final runs through the Sunshine State. The Panthers eliminated Carolina in five games and next go for a title repeat in a rematch with Edmonton.
For the sixth straight season, a team from Florida will be in the Stanley Cup Final.
The Florida Panthers advanced for the third consecutive year, beating the host Carolina Hurricanes 5-3 on Wednesday to clinch the league's Eastern Conference.
The defending champion Panthers, who took the best-of-seven series in five games, are trying to become the NHL's first back-to-back winner since the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2020 and 2021. Both teams also lost once in the final round during that six-year stretch.
The Panthers will face the Edmonton Oilers, who eliminated the Dallas Stars in five games to clinch their second straight Western Conference title and a rematch with Florida for the Cup. Game 1 is Wednesday night in Edmonton.
Florida beat the Hurricanes in the Eastern final for the second time in three seasons.
On Wednesday in Raleigh, the Panthers' Carter Verhaeghe broke a 3-all tie off a feed from Aleksander Barkov with 7:39 left in the third period.
Sam Bennett added an empty-net goal with 54 seconds left by skating down a loose puck straight out of the penalty box after Florida had held up against a critical late power play for the Hurricanes.
That capped a wild night that saw the Hurricanes jump to a 2-0 lead, and Florida answer with three second-period goals, only to see Carolina's Seth Jarvis beat Sergei Bobrovsky midway through the third to tie it at 3.
When the series was over, the Panthers posed for pictures on Carolina's home ice during the presentation of the Prince of Wales Trophy for the conference winner. Some Hurricanes fans remained defiant, offering scattered “Let's go, Oilers!” chants.
The angst is appropriate considering how Florida has now twice ended Carolina's push to its first Cup Final since winning the franchise's lone title in 2006 when now-coach Rod Brind'Amour was captain.
Florida had won the first three games of this series but lost 3-0 at home Monday night as the Hurricanes averted a second straight sweep against Florida. But by the final horn Wednesday, the Panthers had won all three games in Raleigh in the series, pushed their road winning streak in these playoffs to five games and earned an eighth postseason road win overall.
Matthew Tkachuk, Evan Rodrigues and Anton Lundell scored on consecutive shots during Florida’s second-period flurry, while Bobrovsky finished with 20 saves.
Barkov’s assist on Verhaeghe’s winner also stood out as its own terrific individual effort. Florida’s captain was jostling with Carolina’s Dmitry Orlov in a battle near the boards on the left side when he turned toward the crease, stepped inside of Eric Robinson and sent the puck over to Verhaeghe for the finish that silenced a Hurricanes' crowd in full-throated roar after Jarvis’ tying score.
Sebastian Aho scored twice in the first period for Carolina, both on neutral-zone giveaways — the first being one from Gustav Forsling that hit Aho in stride for a breakaway chance that ended up in the net. Aho added another off a giveaway from Niko Mikkola with little more than a minute left in the first for a 2-0 lead.
Carolina has won at least one postseason series in its current run of seven straight playoff appearances, though three have now ended in the Eastern final.
Florida defeated Edmonton in seven games last year to win the franchise's first Stanley Cup.
The Florida Panthers advanced for the third consecutive year, beating the host Carolina Hurricanes 5-3 on Wednesday to clinch the league's Eastern Conference.
The defending champion Panthers, who took the best-of-seven series in five games, are trying to become the NHL's first back-to-back winner since the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2020 and 2021. Both teams also lost once in the final round during that six-year stretch.
The Panthers will face the Edmonton Oilers, who eliminated the Dallas Stars in five games to clinch their second straight Western Conference title and a rematch with Florida for the Cup. Game 1 is Wednesday night in Edmonton.
Florida beat the Hurricanes in the Eastern final for the second time in three seasons.
On Wednesday in Raleigh, the Panthers' Carter Verhaeghe broke a 3-all tie off a feed from Aleksander Barkov with 7:39 left in the third period.
Sam Bennett added an empty-net goal with 54 seconds left by skating down a loose puck straight out of the penalty box after Florida had held up against a critical late power play for the Hurricanes.
That capped a wild night that saw the Hurricanes jump to a 2-0 lead, and Florida answer with three second-period goals, only to see Carolina's Seth Jarvis beat Sergei Bobrovsky midway through the third to tie it at 3.
When the series was over, the Panthers posed for pictures on Carolina's home ice during the presentation of the Prince of Wales Trophy for the conference winner. Some Hurricanes fans remained defiant, offering scattered “Let's go, Oilers!” chants.
The angst is appropriate considering how Florida has now twice ended Carolina's push to its first Cup Final since winning the franchise's lone title in 2006 when now-coach Rod Brind'Amour was captain.
Florida had won the first three games of this series but lost 3-0 at home Monday night as the Hurricanes averted a second straight sweep against Florida. But by the final horn Wednesday, the Panthers had won all three games in Raleigh in the series, pushed their road winning streak in these playoffs to five games and earned an eighth postseason road win overall.
Matthew Tkachuk, Evan Rodrigues and Anton Lundell scored on consecutive shots during Florida’s second-period flurry, while Bobrovsky finished with 20 saves.
Barkov’s assist on Verhaeghe’s winner also stood out as its own terrific individual effort. Florida’s captain was jostling with Carolina’s Dmitry Orlov in a battle near the boards on the left side when he turned toward the crease, stepped inside of Eric Robinson and sent the puck over to Verhaeghe for the finish that silenced a Hurricanes' crowd in full-throated roar after Jarvis’ tying score.
Sebastian Aho scored twice in the first period for Carolina, both on neutral-zone giveaways — the first being one from Gustav Forsling that hit Aho in stride for a breakaway chance that ended up in the net. Aho added another off a giveaway from Niko Mikkola with little more than a minute left in the first for a 2-0 lead.
Carolina has won at least one postseason series in its current run of seven straight playoff appearances, though three have now ended in the Eastern final.
Florida defeated Edmonton in seven games last year to win the franchise's first Stanley Cup.