George Richards, FHN Publisher
There is no rest for the weary, or at least, for the Florida Panthers.
Hours after beating the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 7 of their second round playoff series, the Panthers were back on their charter plane.
The original flight plan had the plane going back to Fort Lauderdale.
Of course, that was changed.
Instead, the Panthers flew to Raleigh, N.C., where Paul Maurice, Bill Zito, and a few players will meet the media at Lenovo Center on Monday afternoon.
Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Carolina Hurricanes is Tuesday night.
The Panthers will get a morning skate to prepare for a Hurricanes team they have not seen since the New Year.
Seems just fine with them.
“You’re in a rhythm now. What’s the choice?’’ Maurice said after Sunday’s 6-1 win. “That’s the way it works, and we’re taking it. We’re going there. We haven’t practiced since 2024 anyway, so it really doesn’t matter to us. We’ll just drop the puck and go.’’
The quick turnaround for the Panthers is a little reminiscent of Florida’s 2023 postseason.
The Panthers trailed Boston 3-1 in the first round, then rallied to win the next two.
Florida beat the Bruins in Game 7 on a Sunday night — then started the second round in Toronto on Tuesday.
The Panthers took a 2-0 lead on that Game 1 before winning 4-2.
Carolina, however, is not the 2023 Maple Leafs.
The Hurricanes have not really been tested in these playoffs, cruising to series wins against New Jersey and Washington.
Carolina was in control of both series and have been off all weekend after winning the final three against the Capitals.
The Panthers, meanwhile, have five of their eight playoff wins this postseason away from Sunrise. Florida went 3-0 in Tampa, and 2-2 in Toronto.
“We know there’s a tremendous amount of work left,’’ Sam Reinhart said. “It certainly doesn’t get easier against a team like Carolina.
“We’ve seen them year in, year out, and we had a series against them that was as tight as any, just in the checking style of play. So get back ready, recover, and get ready to go on Tuesday.”
2025 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS
EASTERN CONFERENCE FINAL: GAME 1
FLORIDA PANTHERS @ CAROLINA HURRICANES
Best-of-7 Series
- When: Tuesday, 8 p.m.
- Where: Lenovo Arena; Raleigh, N.C.
- 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: Tuesday @Carolina; Game 2: Thursday @Carolina; Game 3:Saturday @Florida; Game 4: Monday, May 26 @Florida; Game 5*:Wednesday, May 28 @Carolina; Game 6*: Friday, May 30 @Florida; Game 7*: Sunday, June 1 @Carolina
- This Regular Season (Panthers Won 2-1) — At Florida:Panthers 6, Hurricanes 0 (Nov.30); Hurricanes 3, Panthers 1 (Jan. 2). At Carolina: Panthers 6, Hurricanes 3 (Nov. 29).
- 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)