In nearly an identical performance from Game 5, the Panthers won’t get any rest as the Eastern Conference Final starts in Raleigh Tuesday.
The Carolina Hurricanes have been relaxing since Thursday, waiting to see who would come out of the Toronto/Florida series. After a shellacking in game five last Wednesday, it seemed like it was going to be Florida—but the Maple Leafs went down to Miami and clawed their way for a Game Seven Sunday.
There was hope that it would be a competitive game since after the first period it was 0-0. Then Florida scored three goals in short order in the second, and immediately answered a Toronto score with two more in the third before adding in an empty netter for good measure.
So the NHL’s Final Four is set, and thanks to an announcement from the NHL after Dallas eliminated Winnipeg on Saturday, we know when the Eastern Conference Final will start and who will show it. In the end, the Canes won’t have to wait much longer though they do at least get to stay right where they are.
Here’s the schedule:
- Game 1: Tuesday, May 20 @ 8 PM (Raleigh, NC — Lenovo Center) TNT, truTV, and Max
- Game 2: Thursday, May 22 @ 8 PM (Raleigh, NC — Lenovo Center) TNT, truTV, and Max
- Game 3: Saturday, May 24 @ 8 PM (Sunrise, FL — Amerant Bank Arena) TNT, truTV, and Max
- Game 4: Monday, May 26 @ 8 PM (Sunrise, FL — Amerant Bank Arena) TNT, truTV, and Max
- x-Game 5: Wednesday, May 28 @ 8 PM (Raleigh, NC — Lenovo Center) TNT, truTV, and Max*
- x-Game 6: Friday, May 30 @ 8 PM (Sunrise, FL — Amerant Bank Arena) TNT, truTV, and Max*
- x-Game 7: Sunday, June 1 @ 8 PM (Raleigh, NC — Lenovo Center) TNT, truTV, and Max*
*Games 5,6,7 if necessary
The Hurricanes will be looking for revenge after being swept out of the playoffs two years ago, while the Panthers look to become the first repeat Stanley Cup Champion since the Tampa Bay Lightening in 2020 and 2021. For the first time in the postseason the Canes will be the betting underdog as Florida has experience and a style that could give the Canes fits. They are also facing a goalie in Sergei Bobrovsky who has gotten stronger as the postseason has gone on and has stoned the Canes before.
For what it’s worth, the Panthers won the series this season 2-1, but their last game was January 2nd and the Canes won it on the road 3-1. A little bit has happened for both teams since then.
We’ll see if the test of the Game Seven versus the rest of the Canes will help on Tuesday Night.