Carolina Hurricane vs. Florida Panthers Eastern Conference Finals Series Preview (2025)

What you need to know ahead of this 2025 Eastern Conference Finals series between the Carolina Hurricane and the Florida Panthers:

GAME 1

• When: May 20, 2025 at 5:00 PM PST

• Where: Lenovo Center

• Watch: SN, CBC, TVAS, TNT, truTV, Max

GAME 2

• When: May 22, 2025 at 5:00 PM PST

• Where: Lenovo Center

• Watch: SN, CBC, TVAS, TNT, truTV, Max

GAME 3

• When: May 24, 2025 at 5:00 PM PST

• Where: Amerant Bank Arena

• Watch: TNT, truTV, Max, SN, CBC, TVAS

GAME 4

• When: May 26, 2025 at 5:00 PM PST

• Where: Amerant Bank Arena

• Watch: TNT, truTV, Max, SN, CBC, TVAS

NOTE: Games 5-7 will be scheduled if necessary

GAME 5

• When: May 28, 2025 at 5:00 PM PST

• Where: Lenovo Center

• Watch: SN, CBC, TVAS, TNT, truTV, Max

GAME 6

• When: May 28, 2025 at 5:00 PM PST

• Where: Amerant Bank Arena

• Watch: TNT, truTV, Max, SN, CBC, TVAS

GAME 7

• When: May 28, 2025 at 5:00 PM PST

• Where: Lenovo Center

• Watch: SN, CBC, TVAS, TNT, truTV, Max

The Carolina Hurricanes and Florida Panthers will face one another in the Eastern Conference Finals (ECF) of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs which will kick off on the Canes’ home ice at Lenovo Center. The Panthers have dominated the Canes during the 2024-25 regular season and won two out of the three games that they played against one another. Although the Panthers have had the upper hand, the resilience of Canes will be what fuels them in this series.

The Canes enter the ECF with momentum from their three-game winning streak in their second round series against the Washington Capitals. The Panthers will be entering the ECF with momentum from their triumphant Game 7 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs which ended with a final score of 6-1.

This post season has been one where the Canes displayed true resilience with a first round series against the New Jersey Devils and a second round series against the Washington Capitals. The first round started off with a two-game winning streak and when the Devils answered back with a 2OT win, the Canes responded with a 5-2 regulation win. The Canes then closed out the first round with a 2OT redemption which punched their ticket into the second round. Although the Caps did put up a fight in the beginning of the second round series which was tied 1-1 after Game 2, the Canes regrouped with a 4-0 shutout in Game 3 and proceeded to sweep the remainder of the series in five games. After their first and second round run, the Canes’ points leader is #24 Seth Jarvis, who currently has 10 points recorded which is made up of 4 goals and 6 assists. #37 Andrei Svechnikov leads the team with the most goals recorded in the postseason (8G) and #20 Sebastian Aho leads the Canes with the most assists recorded (7A). In regards to goaltending, #31 Frederik Andersen currently has a 7-2-0 record, a 1.36 GAA, and a 0.937 SV% after his first round and second round wins.  

The Panthers postseason has proved why they are the reigning Stanley Cup champions as they won the Battle of Florida and wiped the floor in their Game 7 matchup against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Panthers started the first round strong with back-to-back regulation wins. Although the Tampa Bay Lighting answered back after getting shutout (2-0) in Game 2 of this first round series, their last push was not enough to overcome the Panthers’ two-game sweep which helped them win the series 4-1. The Panthers found themselves struggling in the beginning of the second round as the Leafs put up a good fight and won Game 1 and Game 2. Down by two in the series, the Panthers answered back with a three-game winning streak which included an OT win in Game 3, a 2-0 shutout in Game 4, and a regulation win in Game 5. With their series on the line, the Leafs forced Game 7 after they shutout the Panthers, 2-0, in Game 6. The Panthers used their upset from Game 6 as fuel for their 6-1 regulation win against the Leafs and closed out the series 4-3 in seven games. After their first and second round run, the Panthers’ points and assists leader in the postseason is #63 Brad Marchand who currently has 12 points (3G, 9A). #9 Sam Bennett leads the Panthers with the most assists recorded during the postseason (9A). In regards to goaltending, #72 Sergei Bobrovsky currently has an 8-4-0 record, a 2.31 GAA, and a 0.901 SV% after his first round and second round wins. 

Going into this matchup, the Canes enter the ECF with a 21.8% power play success rate which is slightly higher compared to Panthers’ 20.5% power play success rate. The Panthers enter the ECF with an 89.5% penalty killing success rate which is relatively similar compared to the Canes’ 90.0% penalty killing success rate. When they played against one another during the regular season, both teams were relatively similar when it came to their average faceoff win percentage (49.73% Panthers, 50.27% Canes) and shots on goal (91 SOG for both teams). The Panthers did find more success when it came to capitalizing on their scoring chances (13G vs. 6G), playing with more physicality (76 hits vs. 73 hits) and with their average power play success rate (16.67 PP% vs. 6.67 PP%) in the three games that they played against the Canes.

The Canes, despite their previous challenges against the Panthers, go into these match-ups with confidence after their victories in Round One (4-1) and Round Two (5-1). On the other hand, the Panthers go into these match-ups with resilience and experience from their 2024 Stanley Cup win.

Come back to read the Eastern Conference Final Game Recaps!