Eastern Conference Final Preview: Canes vs. Panthers

RALEIGH, NC. - The NHL is down to its final four teams, and for the second time in three seasons, the Carolina Hurricanes and Florida Panthers are the last two teams standing in the Eastern Conference.

Carolina arrives at the series after five-game series wins over both the New Jersey Devils and Washington Capitals, while Florida advanced after taking down the Tampa Bay Lightning and Toronto Maple Leafs.

It will be just the second time these two organizations battle in the postseason, joining the 2023 Eastern Conference Final.

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Revisiting The Regular Season Meetings...

• November 29: The Hurricanes fought back to erase a two-goal hole through 40 minutes, but conceded three in the third en route to a 6-3 loss to Florida at Lenovo Center.
• November 30: The Cats ran rampant at home, rattling off a 6-0 victory over Carolina in the second half of a back-to-back, home-and-home set.
• January 2: Brent Burns and Jaccob Slavin both scored in a 3-1 win at Amerant Bank Arena.

The Canes went 1-2 against the Panthers during the regular season; however, they did not have Frederik Andersen or Pyotr Kochetkov available for the two late-November losses due to injuries. Using Spencer Martin and Yaniv Perets, it was a back-to-back to forget.

However, with Kochetkov between the pipes, the Canes won the most recent meeting between the two sides, coming on Jan. 2 in Sunrise.

On The Other Side...

The defending Stanley Cup Champions are in the Eastern Conference Final for a third consecutive year, looking to return to the Stanley Cup Final for a third consecutive postseason as well.

A complete unit, Paul Maurice's group has scored 45 goals through two rounds, leading all teams in the playoffs. Their penalty kill (89.5%) was second only to the Canes, and they've received at least one goal from 17 different skaters in the playoffs, the most on any team.

If you're looking for a weakness, good luck.

Fans of the Canes still have nightmares of Sergei Bobrovsky's insane four-game stretch during the 2023 Eastern Conference Final in which he allowed just six goals and totaled a .966 save percentage in the series, but thus far in these Stanley Cup Playoffs, he's looked a little more human. Allowing 28 goals in 12 games, only three NHL backstops have allowed more.

The Special Teams Battle...

Carolina's Power Play During The Regular Season: 18.7% (25th)

Carolina's Penalty Kill During The Regular Season: 83.6% (1st)

Carolina's Power Play During The Postseason: 28.1% (4th)

Carolina's Penalty Kill During The Postseason: 93.3% (1st)

Carolina's power play had a very tough final four months of the regular season, but the units found their stride in the first round, cashing in for six power-play goals and scoring in four of their five games against New Jersey. Albeit not as much in Round 2, the crew still had success, striking three times in 13 tries.

While the power play's contributions have gone a long way, the penalty kill continued to operate business as usual. They were the league's best when down a man this season, and didn't allow a single power-play goal to the Devils in the first round. Washington was only able to score twice on the man advantage, with one of them coming during five-on-three play.

Florida's Power Play During The Regular Season: 23.5% (T-13th)

Florida's Penalty Kill During The Regular Season: 80.7% (10th)

Florida's Power Play During The Postseason: 20.5% (10th)

Florida's Penalty Kill During The Postseason: 89.5% (2nd)

Matthew Tkachuk has been a force on the power play this postseason, tied for the lead among all skaters with six points on the man advantage. Florida, 8-for-39 as a whole, recorded four power-play goals during each of their series so far.

On the other side of things, Florida's penalty kill has been fantastic, quieting the potent power plays of Tampa Bay and Toronto, holding each of them to just two power-play goals.

In Net...

Carolina: Frederik Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov

Statistically speaking, Andersen has been the best goaltender in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Leading all netminders in both save percentage (.937) and goals against average (1.36), the Danish backstop is playing some of his finest hockey as a Hurricane this postseason.

Andersen enters the Eastern Conference Final having conceded fewer than two goals in six of his nine playoff starts, including three of five against Washington, which had ranked second in the NHL with 286 goals scored in the regular season.

Aside from Andersen's brilliance between the pipes, Kochetkov has also stepped up when called upon, namely turning aside 31 shots in Carolina's series-clinching Game 5 win over the New Jersey Devils in Round 1. The 25-year-old has started just three playoff games in his career, but has already shown his mettle during these playoffs and is 2-0 all-time against the Cats.

Florida: Sergei Bobrovsky and Vitek Vanecek

Bobrovsky has started all 12 games for Florida, posting an 8-4 record with a .901 SV% and 2.31 GAA.

After opening the postseason with back-to-back wins in Tampa, including a shutout in Game 2 of that series, Bobrovsky conceded three or more goals in five of his six ensuing starts, going 3-3 in that span. From Game 4 against Toronto onward, though, "Bob" has been back to his best, allowing just four goals in four games and picking up his league-leading second shutout of the playoffs.

Should they need to switch things up in net, the Panthers' alternative comes in the form of Vanecek, who made 7 appearances for the team in the regular season after coming over from San Jose in a trade. The Czech netminder went 2-4-1 with the Cats this year, recording a .890 SV% and 3.00 GAA with one shutout.

Players To Watch...

Carolina: Andrei Svechnikov

After an up-and-down regular season, "Svech" was a major player in Round 1, producing and impacting each game in a major way. Highlighted by a hat trick in the team's Game 4 win in New Jersey, No. 37 produced five goals in the first round, good for a share of third among all NHLers through Round 1.

He followed that up with three more goals in five games against Washington, including the series-closing Game 5 winner.

Tied with Mikko Rantanen for the league lead with seven even-strength goals this postseason, the Canes are going to need Svechnikov to stay red hot in order to have success in this series.

Florida: Brad Marchand

Acquired from Boston ahead of the trade deadline, Marchand has not only fit in with the Cats, but also been an impact performer as well. With 12 points in 12 playoff games, he's also remained the same type of player, racking up 27 penalty minutes in seven games against the Leafs.

In 169 career playoff games, Marchand has 150 points.

How They See It...

Sebastian Aho giving his perspective on the matchup...

"To be the best, you've got to beat the best. They're the defending Stanley Cup Champions and obviously still a really good team. It's going to be a great challenge for us, but we're ready. We're hungry and can't wait."

Jordan Staal on if being swept by the Panthers two years ago still stings...

"It obviously didn't feel good at the time. Whenever you have tough losses when you feel good about where you're headed, they always stick out in your mind. It's a new challenge and different players, but it's definitely in the back of your mind and you want to get them back."

Jaccob Slavin discussing some of the challenges Florida presents...

"(Alexander) Barkov, he's a really smart player. Obviously, I think he's one of the smartest players in the league. He's big, he's strong, and he has poise with the puck. All of those put together in a player is hard to defend. (Brad) Marchand is obviously another skilled player and he plays hard. They do it the right way."

Rod Brind'Amour on Andrei Svechnikov's effectiveness in the postseason...

"The effort's always been there, I just think what you're seeing out of him, through these two rounds anyways, is he's been impactful, even if he's not on the scoresheet. You just kind of notice him. I don't know how to explain it other than that. Whereas, maybe in the (regular season) there weren't as many of those games. You go through a game and you'd be like, 'We expect a little more, even if you're not scoring.' Now, whether he's on the scoresheet or not, he's been impactful in the games."

Jordan Martinook talking about Frederik Andersen's play thus far in the postseason...

"Whenever we've had a breakdown, he's been there. If you look back at his time as a Hurricane in the playoffs, he's been unbelievable. Obviously, this year, it's been really nice to see. Knowing that you have that confidence in him back there is such a good thing to have. Obviously, he's probably been our best player. Whenever you have that out of your goalie, it's something that you're really confident in."

Frederik Andersen elaborating on the importance of the whole team's defensive game...

"It's a team effort. We look around the room, everyone's bought into that extra little bit that it takes this time of year. You don't have to look far to see those extra little efforts. They come up in video all of the time. They may not show up on the highlight tapes on TV, but we see them, and we recognize each other for them, and want to do them even more for each other."

Where To Watch Every Game...

Can't make it to Lenovo Center, or looking for a place to watch the road games in the series? Visit any Carolina Ale House in the state to watch the Canes all throughout the playoffs.

View the complete schedule and broadcast info here.