Panthers Defeat Canes to Secure a Spot in the Stanley Cup Finals
The defending Stanley Cup Champions, the Florida Panthers, returned to Raleigh to face off against the Carolina Hurricanes for a tense Game Five. Tonight’s game between the Panthers and the Hurricanes was a make-or-break moment. Going into Game Five, the Panthers led the series 3-1, so it was a must-win for the Canes. With a ticket to the Stanley Cup Playoffs on the line, the Canes were unable to match up with the Panthers, sending Florida to their third connecutive Stanley Cup Finals.
The scoring opened early in the first period as Sebastian Aho broke away, going one to one with Sergei Bobrovsky, scoring an unassisted goal just under five minutes into the game. Carolina took an early lead, giving Canes fans hope as the team with the first goal has won all four previous games of this series. Aho wasn’t done just yet, however. With just one minute and six seconds left in the period, Aho earned himself yet another goal, this time with an assist from Seth Jarvis. Despite several power-play opportunities for the Panthers, the score at the end of the first was 2-0 in favor of Carolina.
The second period saw a bit of a slower start in terms of scoring, but not in terms of play. Things were heated on the ice from the start. However, the Panthers were eager to come back. Matthew Tkachuk scored on the power-play with an assist from Seth Jones and Aaron Ekblad, halving the Canes' lead to 2-1. Just 30 seconds later, Sam Bennett and Tkachuk found Evan Rodrigues for a wrist shot opportunity, firing past Frederik Andersen to even the score. The Panthers were on fire as they took the lead in the game for the first time following a goal by Anton Lundel, assisted by Brad Marchand.
With the Panthers in the lead at the start of the final 20 minutes, the Canes really needed to step up their game if they wanted a chance at advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals. Thanks to Jarvis, the Canes had a shot. Eight and a half minutes into the final period, Andrei Svechnikov and Shayne Gostisbehere set up Jarvis for a wrist shot, bringing the game to a tie with over 10 minutes left to play. The Panthers were quick to respond, however, as Carter Verhaeghe found the net, bringing the Panthers to the lead once again. To solidify the Panthers lead, Sam Bennett scored an empty netter just as the Carolina power-play came to an end and Bennett was released from the box. With under a minute left in the game, the Panthers led 5-3, and the Canes were just unable to come back in time, securing the win for Florida. With four wins this series under their belt, the Panthers claim the title of Eastern Conference Champions once again, and earn a chance to become back to back Stanley Cup Champions.
