Soccer Goal? Carolina Hurricanes Kick One In against Panthers

Sebastian Aho scored the first goal of the night for the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Panthers on Thursday night.

It looked like he was trying out for Inter Miami.

With the Hurricanes down 2-0 in the closing minute of the first, Seth Jarvis sent a shot toward the front of the net.

Aho, backing in on Sergei Bobrovsky, caught the puck with the back of his right skate and redirected it between the legs of the Florida goalie.

The officials ruled it a goal on the ice, discussed it, and then the NHL looked at it over and over on video.

After a few minutes, the goal stood, and the Florida lead was cut to 2-1.

Paul Maurice was certainly not as upset about it as many on social media as, replays showed, Aho did simply catch the puck off his skate.

The kicking motion everyone thought they saw came after the puck was already on its way past Bobrovsky — who immediately challenged the officials to wave off the goal.

They did not.

“I thought so,’’ Bobrovsky said when asked if he thought the puck was kicked. “Nothing you can do about it. It is what it is. You just focus on the next one, try and put that behind.’’

To be waved off, Aho would have had to have made a ‘distinct kicking motion,’ which is what we see from field-goal kickers on Saturday and Sunday, not a turn of the skate of which Aho did.

A.J. Greer ended up getting that goal back early in the second to make it 3-1, and the Panthers cruised to a 5-2 win and a 1-0 lead in the best-of-7 series.

“It should have been a goal,’’ NHL Hall of Famer and former Florida front office member Chris Pronger said on Sportsnet. “He directed the puck, he didn’t kick it in.’’

Maurice did not challenge the ruling on the ice, because he could not.

Kicking in a goal is not reviewable by coaches’ challenge.

“They felt there wasn’t enough on the ice for them to disallow the goal,’’ Maurice said when asked what explanation he got from officials.

“And there wasn’t enough when they looked at it upstairs to overrule the ice. I would be for allowing those goals. Given an option on the bench, I would have challenged. But I am OK with the linesmen missing offsides to allow the offense, and I am OK … with the league giving a little room on that.

“The original idea [for challenges/video review] was to overturn egregious calls that they just miss. And that happens. And you want those back. But when they are that tight, I’m OK with it.’’

2025 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS

EASTERN CONFERENCE FINAL: GAME 2

FLORIDA PANTHERS @ CAROLINA HURRICANES

Panthers lead Best-of-7 Series 1-0

• When: Thursday, 8 p.m. 
• Where: Lenovo Center; 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: Florida 5, Carolina 2; 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)