In the Stanley Cup Playoffs Conference Finals, four teams compete in two best-of-seven series beginning Thursday. Today, NHL.com is showing the Eastern Conference Finals between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Florida Panthers.
(M1) Carolina Hurricanes protiv (WC2) Florida Panthers
hurricanes:52-21-9, 113 points; 4-2 for a first-round win over the New York Islanders; 4-1 to win the second round against the New Jersey Devils.
pantera:42-32-8, 92 points; 4:3 for a first round win over the Boston Bruins; 4-1 in a second round win over the Toronto Maple Leafs
Staff series:AUTO 2-1-0; FLA 1-2-0
Gra 1:Czwartek (8 p.m. ET; TNT, CBC, SN, TVAS)
In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Florida Panthers will pit brothers against brothers and old friends turned enemies.
Eric SteelIMark CelikThe Panthers meet the Hurricane captainHe became Jordanin the first Stanley Cup playoff series where all three brothers compete. Eric Staal played for the Hurricanes for 12 seasons (2003-2016), won the Stanley Cup with them in 2006, and was their captain for seven seasons (2009-16).
Florida head coach Paul Maurice coached Carolina for two terms over 11 seasons (1997–2003, 2008–2011), including a trip to the 2002 Stanley Cup Finals, where they lost in five games to the Detroit Red Wings. Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind'Amour played for Maurice every time he was at Carolina, then began his coaching career as one of his assistants after retiring in 2010.
All of that is waived when it comes to reaching the Stanley Cup Finals.
"Once we get into the series, everyone will be able to play the game and get into it," said Jordan Staal. "We'll kiss and make up later."
This will be the first playoff series between these teams.
[RELATED:Full broadcast of the series Hurricanes vs. Panthers]
The Hurricanes hope to reach the finals for the first time since 2006. The leopards will be trying to get there for the first time since 1996, when they were swept away by an avalanche from Colorado.
Karolina overcame high-profile injuries of the strikersAndrew Swetschnikov(rupture of the cruciate ligament),Maks Pacioretty(Achilles tendon rupture) iTeuvo as Teravaine(broken arm) reached the conference finals for the first time since 2019. In the regular season, he ranks second in the NHL with 113 points.
Florida is in the Conference Finals for the first time since 1996 after defeating the Boston Bruins (65-12-5), who won the Presidents' Cup and set NHL records with 65 wins and 135 points, and the Toronto Maple Leafs (50) def. -21-11), who was fourth in the NHL with 111 points.
"We feel very comfortable in a difficult fight," said Maurice. “We're definitely going to be taking on a lot of hits in this series from Carolina. We were pretty good at getting off the mat."
game interrupter
hurricanes: Sebastian Ois connected withJordana Martinookatied for first place with Carolina with 10 points (five goals, five assists) in 11 playoff games after the striker finished second with 67 points (36 goals, 31 assists) in 75 regular season games. Although Aho had a relatively uneventful second round (one goal, two assists), he showed in the first that he could make the biggest difference, scoring seven points (four goals, three assists) in six games against the Islanders.
pantera:Mateusz Tkaczukleads Florida with 16 points (five goals, 11 assists) in 12 playoff games after leading the nation with an NHL career-high 109 points (40 goals, 69 assists) in 79 regular season games. The forward, a finalist for the NHL's Hart Trophy Most Valuable Player, did not score in the second round but had five assists and was second behind the Panthers with 22 goals in the seriesDitto Bennettait's 24
Video: FLA@TOR, Sp1: Bennett faked a shot online
guard
hurricanes:AfterFrederica AndersenIAntti RaantaAndersen continued to be the top scorer in the playoffs, starting in the last six games, and is 5-0 with an average of 1.80 goals and a 0.931 defense percentage. Raanta made his first five starts and is 3-2 with 2.59 GAA and 0.906 percentage savings. Due to illness and a slight injury, Andersen did not wear the kit for matches 2-4 of the first round. Raanta was unavailable for games 2-4 of the second round due to illness.
pantera:Sergei Bobrovskyhe regained the top spot and has since started his last nine matchesAlex LyonHe started the first three playoff games and the final eight games of the regular season. Bobrovsky has a 7-2 record with 2.82 GAA and 0.918 save percentage over 10 games, including a 4-1 record with 1.89 GAA and 0.943 save percentage in the second round. Lyon won 2-1 with a 3.26 GAA and 0.902 saving percentage over their three starts.
Numbers you should know
hurricanes:Karolina is the best in the NHL 27 out of 30 (90 percent) with four penalties in playoff shorthand and 7 out of 37 (18.9 percent) in lead play, including a 2 out of 12 (16-16). 7 percent). ) in the second round. The Hurricanes lead the NHL with a plus-82 margin on 5-on-5 shot attempts and have a league-low 27.8 rebounds per game. In the play-offs, Karolina leads 5:1 at home. The Hurricanes have a 3-0 playoff lead in overtime and have won seven straight overtime games since 2021.
pantera:Florida is 8-29 (27.6 percent) in the playoffs, including a 3-9 (33.3 percent) record in the second round. The Panthers are 25-38 (65.8 percent) on penalties, but 9-11 (81.8 percent) in the second round. Florida is minus 26 on 5-on-5 shot attempts and concedes 35.3 shots per game. The Panthers have a 6-1 playoff record, including six in a row. The Panthers lead 4-0 in overtime playoffs and have won seven straight overtime games as of 2021.
X Factor
hurricanes: Brenta Burnsaadded another dimension to the defense since it was acquired on July 13, 2022 in a trade with the San Jose Sharks. He ranks third in the Hurricanes with eight points (two goals, six assists) in the playoffs, and helped fuel that offensive by taking 41 team-best shots and averaging 23 best times on the ice: 55. Karolina scored seven goals from defense after as she led the NHL in shooting with 59 points in the regular season.
pantera:Cartera Verhaeghe'ahe is second in Florida with 12 points (five goals, seven assists) and has a knack for making important moments, scoring three crucial goals for the team. Verhaeghe leads the NHL with six winning goals and three overtime goals in the last two seasons, including crucial overtime goals against the Washington Capitals in the first round of 2022 and Boston in the first round of this season.
Video: NJD@CAR, Gm5: Burns shoots the net from distance
you said so
"We've been saying all along it's going to be a record-breaker, but we've got to give it our all. We know the team we're playing against. It covered everything from top to bottom. "That's why they keep playing."- Hurricane Coach Rod Brind'Amour
“No one in the world would have thought we would be in this situation right now, but we don't care what anyone thinks of us. We know it will probably be very similar this round with a team like Karolina.– Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk
Will win if...
hurricanes:Deep strikers like Martinook (three goals, seven assists),Jesper Brzi(five goals, three assists) and Jordan Staal (two goals, six assists) continue to help compensate for injuries, and the Andersen-Raanta tandem remains stable. Teravainen's eventual return later in the series would provide a boost.
pantera:Bobrovsky stays hot, line fromNick Cousins(two goals, four assists), Bennett (four goals, four assists) and Tkachuk continue to be productive and disruptive, with the defense able to withstand the constant pressure created by hurricanes.
Video: NJD@CAR, Gm5: Fast saves PPG to win game 5 in overtime
How do they look
Hurricanes expected lineup
Stefana Noesena-- Sebastian Aho --Set Jarvisa
Jordan Martinook –Jesperi Kotkaniemi-- Jesper Fast
Jack Drury-- Jordan Steel --Marcin Nečas
Mackenzie MacEachern--Pawel Stasny--Darek Stepan
Yakov SlavinBrenta Burnsa
Brady Schei--Bretta Pesce'a
This is Shayne Gostis--Jalen Chatfield
Frederica Andersen
Antti Raanta
scratched:Dylan Coghlan,Calvina DeHaana,Jesse Puljujarvi,Pyotr Kochetkov
Injured:Andrei Svechnikov (torn cruciate ligament), Max Pacioretty (torn Achilles tendon), Teuvo Teravainen (broken arm),Andrew Kasa(Earthquake)
Planned formation of Panthers
Carter Verhaeghe –Alexander Barkov--Antoni Duclair
Nick Cousins – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk
Eetu Luostarinen--Antona Lunde--Sama Reinharta
Colina White'a-- Eric Steel --Zach Dalpe
Gustaw Forsling--Aaron Oakleaf
Mark Steel -Brandon Montoura
Josh Mahura--Radko Gud
Sergei Bobrovsky
Alex Lyon
scratched:Givaniego Smitha,Mike'a Benninga,Caseya Fitzgeralda,Evan Fitzpatrick
Injured:Ryana Lomberga(upper body)Patrica Hornqvista(Earthquake)