Panthers-Hurricanes Game 5 grades and takeaways

Just when it looked like the Carolina Hurricanes were going to force a Game 6 after scoring a pair of first-period goals, the Florida Panthers scored the three in the second. And when it looked the Hurricanes were going to at least force overtime with a third-period tally from Seth Jarvis? That’s when the defending Stanley Cup champs put an end to that discussion, with captain Aleksandar Barkov using his strength to fend off Dmitry Orlov to set up Carter Verhaeghe for the series-clinching goal in their 5-3 win Wednesday in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals.

Returning to the Stanley Cup Final to defend their crown is only the start for the Panthers. This is now the 11th time in the last 12 years in which a sun belt team has played in the Stanley Cup Final, a distinction that began in 2014 with the Los Angeles Kings and was interrupted in 2019 when the Boston Bruins faced the St. Louis Blues.

Even though they have a rivalry with the Tampa Bay Lightning, a team from Florida has won the East in six straight seasons, which is also the same length of the current streak of sun belt teams to reach the Cup Final. Furthermore, the Panthers are also the third South Florida professional team to reach the title game or title series in their respective sport, joining the Miami Dolphins from 1971 through 1973 and the Miami Heat from 2010 through 2014.

Although they avoided being swept, the Hurricanes were eliminated in the conference finals for the second time in the last three seasons. They’ll now enter an offseason in which they’ll face questions about their roster, and what must be done to get beyond what’s been a proverbial hurdle in the playoffs’ penultimate round.

Ryan S. Clark and Kristen Shilton look back at what happened in Game 5, along with what lies ahead for each franchise.

Florida was well-positioned for a victory here. They had their injured skaters back — Sam Reinhart, Niko Mikkola and A.J. Greer had all been impact players in some shape or form — and they should have added a spark. It didn’t look like the Panthers were benefiting from their return early, though, as they didn’t look dynamic out of the gate. Gustav Forsling‘s turnover sent Sebastian Aho on a breakaway that he turned into a 1-0 lead for Carolina.

Florida also couldn’t capitalize on its power-play tries, which was not great — especially considering Aho’s second goal of the period gave the Hurricanes a 2-0 lead through 20 minutes.

But then the Panthers did what they do best — pounce. Matthew Tkachuk‘s power-play goal cut the deficit in half and Evan Rodrigues had Florida tied 30 seconds later. Then it was Anton Lundell giving Florida the lead. That’s just how the Panthers roll — deep. Rodrigues was the Panthers’ 19th goal scorer in the postseason.

Even though Sergei Bobrovsky looked shakier than usual in the first period, he responded with a strong finish through the final 40 minutes. And Florida’s penalty kill stepped up in a big way, completely stifling the Hurricanes’ power play (which was 0-for-4 on the night). The Panthers tightened up and stayed that way through the third period while trying to deny Carolina a chance to force Game 6.

Florida may not have been flawless — giving up a goal to Seth Jarvis midway through the third was a bad look — but Carter Verhaeghe captured the game-winner (off a brilliant assist from Aleksander Barkov) to make Florida’s just-enough effort sufficient to snuff out the Hurricanes’ flame. And Sam Bennett‘s empty-netter ensured it was three straight Eastern Conference titles for the Panthers. — Shilton

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Verhaeghe puts Panthers back in front

Carter Verhaeghe fires home a big-time goal to give the Panthers a lead late in the third period.

Everything the Canes did in the first period was an extension of how they operated in Game 4. They had a plan, and it was a course of action that saw them take advantage of mistakes such as the ones that led to Aho scoring the goals that staked his team to that 2-0 lead. There was something else too, specifically in the way the Hurricanes defended themselves in the midst of that scrum with around five minutes remaining showed a fight that hadn’t always been visible in the series.

A two-goal lead after one period for a team that was 6-0 this postseason when they scored first. Their defensive identity carried over from that season-saving Game 4 performance. It was enough to suggest for at least an intermission that a Game 6 could be in play. Then came the back-to-back goals from Tkachuk and Rodrigues within 30 seconds of one another, before Anton Lundell scored a little more than four minutes later.

Those goals — coupled with the fact the Panthers limited the Hurricanes to just two shots on goal in the first 10 minutes of the final frame — initially made it seem that the series was over. That’s until Seth Jarvis scored the game-tying goal and reignited the pushback that the Canes hadn’t always shown in the series. Or rather, it did until Aleksander Barkov showed what makes him one of the game’s premier players by holding off Dmitry Orlov and creating the space to set up Verhaeghe for the game-winning goal. — Clark

Big questions

Can the Panthers use rest as a weapon?

Florida hasn’t had consecutive days off at this point since early in their second-round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs. And they are ailing to some degree. All those injured skaters clearly aren’t 100%; Eetu Luostarinen left the game on Wednesday following a cross-check from William Carrier, and you know plenty of guys who have been in the lineup every night are craving some downtime.

The Panthers have an opportunity to breathe and reboot after a long string of games, and that could be invaluable in how they show up to the Cup Final. They could know their next opponent as soon as Thursday, but it may also be a few more days before that Western Conference finals is settled.

Florida will have a slight edge either way in the rest department, and capitalizing on it could be a game-changer. They remember well the toll it takes on the body to travel potentially long distances (like from Fort Lauderdale to Edmonton?) in a Final. It’s critical to take advantage of, well, every advantage. Even if it means being Dallas Stars fans for a spell — and hoping the two potential foes can tire each other out here for another few games. — Shilton

How aggressive are the Canes going to get this summer, knowing next year might be their strongest chance to strike?

Possessing more than $28 million in cap space, per PuckPedia, presents the idea that the Hurricanes could be a major player in free agency. It’s a level of flexibility that championship contenders covet, because it’s so hard to attain once they have several members of their core under long-term contracts.

That’s a problem the Hurricanes don’t have — at least not yet.

They have seven players signed to deals longer than three seasons. It’s a group that includes core members such as Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Jaccob Slavin, Andrei Svechnikov, Aho and Jarvis. But there are considerations to make given that Jackson Blake, Scott Morrow, Alexander Nikishin and Logan Stankoven are all going to be pending restricted free agents after the 2025-26 season, who will then be in need of new deals.

While there’s a need for the Hurricanes to win now, this is also a franchise that has made a point of building large portions of its roster through the draft. Now, they must balance an approach that has allowed them to be a championship contender with one that sees them take the next step, and that will dictate how their front office handles this offseason. — Clark