After going the distance to vanquish the Toronto Maple Leafs in seven games, the Florida Panthers are back in the Eastern Conference Final for the third straight season. Bouncing back from a lackluster performance on home ice in Game 6, the Cats thrashed the Maple Leafs 6-1 at Scotiabank Arena to continue its Stanley Cup title defense. Their opponent will be the well-rested Carolina Hurricanes, who cruised through the Metropolitan Division bracket, eliminating both the New Jersey Devils and Washington Capitals in an efficient five games. The Hurricanes have gotten standout performances from Andrei Svechnikov, who has eight goals in ten games, and goaltender Frederik Andersen, who boasts a miserly 1.36 GAA and .937 save percentage. The two teams met at this juncture in 2023, with the Panthers winning in a tightly-played sweep that saw all four games decided by one goal.
- WHEN: 8 p.m. ET
- WHERE: Lenovo Center – Raleigh, NC
- ON THE TUBE: TNT
- ON THE DIAL: 560 WQAM (D/B), Real Radio 92.1 (PB), Thunder 100.3 (Keys)
- SOCIALS: #TimeToHunt, #RaiseUp, #FLAvsCAR, @LitterBoxCats, LBC FaceBook
- ENEMY INTEL: Canes Country
- SEASON SERIES: Panthers won 2-1
- LAST MEETING: CAR 3, @FLA 1 – (Recap) 1/2/2025
- NEXT MEETING: Game 2 – May 22, 2025
- PROJECTED STARTERS: Florida: Bobrovsky (8-4 .901 / 2.31 2SO) Carolina: Andersen (7-2 .937 / 1.36 1SO)
- PLAYER STATS: Florida / Carolina