Panthers Can Reason with Hurricanes Season Come Monday

By winning the first three games of the Eastern Conference finals over the Carolina Hurricanes in dominating fashion, the Florida Panthers are on the cusp of a third straight trip to the Stanley Cup Final.

All they need now is a win Monday night in Sunrise. Or, one win in four tries.

Hurricane season here in the tropics does not officially start until June 1.

Carolina Hurricanes season may well just end on May 26.

Saturday night was Carolina’s best chance, thus far, of getting a win out of the Panthers.

The Hurricanes and Panthers were tied at 1 going into the third before their wheels completely fell off.

Again.

Carolina extended their dubious NHL record by losing their 15th straight in the conference finals, with the last seven of those coming at the hands of the Panthers.

The first question of coach Rod Brind’Amour following the demoralizing 6-2 loss in Game 3 was about how fragile his team is.

Oof.

Right now, the question is not whom the Hurricanes start in net on Monday — but whether they have a goalie they can trust.

Brind’Amour would not blame Frederik Andersen for the first two games, nor did he have anything bad to say about replacement Pyotr Kochetkov in Game 3.

Yet the Panthers have blown out both.

Carolina has been tied with the Panthers for a time in the first three games, but have yet to hold a lead.

This series was supposed to be a close-knit, bet-the-under kind of deal. Maybe not as close as the 2023 ECF was, but something near to it.

Only the Panthers have outscored the Hurricanes 16-4 and, despite what Paul Maurice and the likes of Brad Marchand try to sell, this series has not been close.

At all.

But, if you are rooting for the Rat Kings, you’re enjoying this.

Or should be, anyway.

“I’m having a lot of fun,’’ Marchand said. “It’s such a great group to be a part of and I’ve been part of really good teams before. There have been moments where you don’t truly appreciate it until you’ve gone through it and I look back on it now, so I am just trying to enjoy every moment.

“These things go by fast, there are only three or four weeks left in the season and you’re trying to enjoy every single second of it because you never know when it is going to end, and you never know when you’re going to get an opportunity like this again. Definitely enjoying it.”

So should anyone who has cheered for the Panthers over the years.

These are your 1972 Dolphins.

This is Dan Marino, Dwyane Wade, and Jeff Conine on ice.

These are the Miami Hurricanes winning 56 straight games at the Orange Bowl.

The Glory Days are now.

Enjoy them.

Worry about boarding up the windows and fighting the crowds for a bruised case of bottled water tomorrow.

Because, to paraphrase Marchand and quote Ferris Bueller, “life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

FLORIDA PANTHERS / FHN

• The Panthers got big games in from their big-time players in Game 3.
• They also showed up on Saturday with Sasha Barkov scoring twice, and Marchand getting the final of five in the third.
• The Hurricanes have to come out desperate on Monday or it’s all over. Only the Panthers aren’t breaking out the brooms just yet.
• Niko Mikkola scored twice in Game 3, but left the game after an awkward crash into the end boards. Maurice thinks he’s going “to be OK.’’ Regardless, No. 77 has become a breakout star for the Panthers in these playoffs. The Condor. Cool nickname.
• Sam Reinhart got hurt in the first period on a questionable hit from Sebastian Aho and did not play on Saturday.
• Jesper Boqvist was a tropical storm on Saturday night.
• The Hurricanes are on the brink of another ECF exit.
• A whole lot of miscues in the third buried the Hurricanes in Game 3.
• The Panthers make sure Marchand understands the rat tradition with the Panthers — by pelting him with the rubber toys that hit the ice after each win.
• Bill Zito is a finalist for GM of the Year for the third straight year and fourth time in his five years at the helm of the SS Panther. He’s got to win this year, right?
• The Panthers won the SBJ Sports Team of the Year award on Wednesday in New York.
• Sergei Bobrovsky has quieted some of the critics who were quick to jump on him early in the Toronto series.
• AJ Greer is having a blast in his first Stanley Cup playoff run. The Panthers are enjoying it, too.
• Don’t forget to subscribe to the FHN YouTube channel to watch video interviews with the Florida Panthers throughout the postseason. Saturday brought a ton of video. Check back today for more video from Fort Lauderdale. Matthew Tkachuk is expected to talk.

NHL LINKS / NATIONAL HOCKEY NOW

• The Oilers went back to basics in Game 2 against the Stars.
• Roope Hintz is questionable for Game 3 in Edmonton.
• The pros and cons for the Pittsburgh Penguins coaching candidates.
• The New York Islanders hire Mathieu Darche as their new GM.
• Could the Philadelphia Flyers find their new center from a division rival?
• The Boston Bruins may be close to hiring a new coach.
• Mitch Marner is reportedly interested in joining the Vegas Golden Knights. Oh, he reportedly also digs a certain team that plays on the edge of the Everglades in a town that rhymes with Stunrise.

2025 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS

EASTERN CONFERENCE FINAL: GAME 4

CAROLINA HURRICANES @ FLORIDA PANTHERS

Panthers lead Best-of-7 Series 3-0

• When: Monday, 8 p.m. 
• Where: Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise
• National TV: TNT/truTV
• National Streaming: Max
• Radio: WQAM 560-AM; WPOW 96.5-FM2; WBZT 1230-AM (Palm Beach); WCTH 100.3-FM (Florida Keys); SiriusXM
• Panthers Radio Streaming: SiriusXM 932, NHL App
• Series Schedule (all games on TNT/tru, 8 p.m.) — Game 1: Florida 5, Carolina 2; Game 2: Florida 5, Carolina 0; Game 3: Florida 6, Carolina 2; Game 4: Monday @Florida; Game 5*: Wednesday @Carolina; Game 6*: Friday, May 30 @Florida; Game 7*: Sunday, June 1 @Carolina
• Regular Season: Panthers Won 2-1
• How They Got Here: Carolina d. New Jersey (5), Washington (5); Florida d. Tampa Bay (5), Toronto (7).
• All-Time Regular Season Series: Carolina/Hartford leads 74-49-10, 11 ties
• Postseason History: Florida 1-0 (2023 ECF in 4)