Defending champion Panthers advance to 3rd straight Stanley Cup final after eliminating Carolina

Aaron Beard · The Associated Press

· Posted: May 28, 2025 11:13 PM EDT | Last Updated: 5 hours ago

Carter Verhaeghe broke a necktie disconnected a provender from Aleksander Barkov with 7:39 near and the defending champion Florida Panthers precocious to their 3rd consecutive Stanley Cup final, beating the Carolina Hurricanes 5-3 connected Wednesday nighttime successful Game 5.

Florida bushed the Hurricanes successful the Eastern Conference last for the 2nd clip successful 3 seasons. The Panthers volition look the victor of the Western last betwixt Dallas and Edmonton, with the Oilers up 3-1 successful that best-of-seven bid to enactment them wrong a triumph of a rematch with Florida for the Cup.

Sam Bennett added an empty-net extremity with 54 seconds near by skating down a escaped puck consecutive retired of the punishment container aft Florida had held up against a captious precocious powerfulness play for the Hurricanes.

That capped a chaotic nighttime that saw the Hurricanes leap to a 2-0 lead, and Florida reply with 3 second-period goals, lone to spot Carolina's Seth Jarvis bushed Sergei Bobrovsky midway done the 3rd to necktie it astatine 3.

When it was over, the Panthers posed for pictures connected Carolina's location crystal during the presumption of the Prince of Wales Trophy for the league winner. Some Hurricanes fans remained defiant, offering scattered "Let's go, Oilers!" chants.

The angst is due considering however Florida has present doubly ended Carolina's propulsion to its archetypal Cup Final since winning the franchise's lone rubric successful 2006 erstwhile now-coach Rod Brind'Amour was captain.

Florida had won the archetypal 3 games of this bid but mislaid 3-0 astatine location Monday nighttime arsenic the Hurricanes averted a 2nd consecutive expanse against Florida. But by the last horn Wednesday, the Panthers had won each 3 games successful Raleigh successful the series, pushed their roadworthy winning streak successful these playoffs to 5 games and earned an eighth post-season roadworthy triumph overall.

Matthew Tkachuk, Evan Rodrigues and Anton Lundell scored connected consecutive shots during Florida's second-period flurry, portion Bobrovsky finished with 20 saves.

Barkov's assistance connected Verhaeghe's victor besides stood retired arsenic its ain terrific idiosyncratic effort. Florida's skipper was jostling with Carolina's Dmitry Orlov successful a conflict adjacent the boards connected the near broadside erstwhile helium turned toward the crease, stepped wrong of Eric Robinson and sent the puck implicit to Verhaeghe for the decorativeness that silenced a Hurricanes location assemblage successful full-throated roar aft Jarvis' tying score.

Sebastian Aho scored doubly successful the archetypal play for Carolina, some connected neutral-zone giveaways — the archetypal being 1 from Gustav Forsling that deed Aho successful stride for a a breakaway accidental that ended up successful the net. Aho added different disconnected a giveaway from Niko Mikkola with small much than a infinitesimal near successful the archetypal for a 2-0 lead.

Carolina has won astatine slightest 1 postseason bid successful its existent tally of 7 consecutive playoff appearances, though 3 person present ended successful the Eastern final.