The Florida Panthers currently lead the series 1-0 against the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final. Just two days after decisively winning Game 7 against Toronto, the Panthers overwhelmed the Hurricanes with a 5-2 victory in Game 1.
Gameplay was tight, but the Panthers managed to gain more opportunities near the net. Carter Verhaeghe initiated the scoring for Florida, netting a backhand shot over goaltender Frederik Andersen’s shoulder while on the power play. Verhaeghe finished the night with two points, along with Evan Rodrigues, who assisted on Aaron Ekblad’s goal.
Nasty backhand by Verhaeghe for the first goal of the Eastern Conference Final 😮💨
📺: Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/bnfsyMuXZP — Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 21, 2025
Ekblad also scored a stunning goal, which ricocheted in off the post. Throughout the match, the Panthers saw scoring contributions from A.J. Greer, Sam Bennett, and Eetu Luostarinen.
Despite being strong in offense, Sergei Bobrovsky of the Panthers faced 33 shots, confidently handling 31 of them and maintaining his elite performance. Conversely, the Hurricanes struggled to generate consistent offense, an issue they didn’t encounter in earlier rounds. Sebastian Aho found the net for the Hurricanes in a controversial goal that was upheld after a review.
Aho gets the @Canes on the board with less than a minute to go in the first! 🌀
🇺🇸: @NHL_On_TNT & @SportsonMax ➡️ Link
🇨🇦: @Sportsnet or stream on Sportsnet+ ➡️ Link
The Canes have notably lost 13 consecutive games in the Eastern Conference Finals going back to 2009. They have a chance to change this in Game 2 on Thursday, but the Panthers will surely be a formidable opponent.
Eastern Conference Final schedule
All times Eastern
- Game 1: Panthers 5, Hurricanes 2 | Recap
- Game 2: Thursday, May 22 | 8 p.m. | at CAR | TNT, truTV, Max
- Game 3: Saturday, May 24 | 8 p.m. | at FLA | TNT, truTV, Max
- Game 4: Monday, May 26 | 8 p.m. | at FLA | TNT, truTV, Max
- Game 5 (if necessary): Wednesday, May 28 | 8 p.m. | at CAR | TNT, truTV, Max
- Game 6 (if necessary): Friday, May 30 | 8 p.m. | at FLA | TNT, truTV, Max
- Game 7 (if necessary): Sunday, June 1 | 8 p.m. | at CAR | TNT, truTV, Max
Hurricanes vs. Panthers odds
- Series odds: Panthers -240, Hurricanes +200
- Game 2 odds: Hurricanes -120, Panthers +100
