3 Keys: Panthers at Hurricanes, Game 2 of Eastern Conference Final

Florida aims for fast start, special teams edge; Carolina mum on goalie choice in bid to even series

By Tom Gulitti

@TomGulittiNHL NHL.com Senior Writer

May 20, 2023

(WC2) Panthers at (M1) Hurricanes

Eastern Conference Final, Game 2

Florida leads best-of-7 series, 1-0

8 p.m. ET; TNT, CBC, SN, TVAS

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Rested or not, the Florida Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes will play Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final at PNC Arena on Saturday.

The Panthers and Hurricanes have been trying to recoup their energy after playing four overtimes in Florida's 3-2 win in Game 1 of the best-of-7 series, which ended at 1:54 a.m. on Friday.

"Playing 2 1/2 games in one night certainly doesn't help anyone, but we had a good day to recover," Panthers forward Sam Reinhart said. "Being on the road, being kind of together all day yesterday, you're all kind of recovering together, going through the same things together. So all that helps, and this morning just feels like a normal game day."

Neither team skated Friday. Florida held an optional morning skate Saturday. Only the Carolina extra players skated Saturday morning.

Even the younger players appreciated the time off.

"I've got the youth advantage on my side, so I can play that card a little bit," said 21-year-old Hurricanes forward Seth Jarvis. "But it's nice to feel not like I did yesterday."

The Panthers are looking to win the first two games on the road in their second straight series after taking a 2-0 lead in the second round against the Toronto Maple Leafs and winning in five games.

Teams that take a 2-0 lead are 345-55 (.863) winning a best-of-7 series all-time, including 3-1 (.750) in 2023.

Here are 3 keys to Game 2:

1. Hurricanes goalie decision

Coach Rod Brind'Amour wouldn't reveal Carolina's starting goalie after saying Friday the Hurricanes were considering whether to rest Frederik Andersen and start Antti Raanta because of concern about possible "wear and tear" on Andersen from playing nearly seven full periods in Game 1.

"I'll just leave it as suspenseful for the lineup tonight," Brind'Amour said Saturday. "Everybody's available, though."

Florida coach Paul Maurice said Sergei Bobrovsky will start for the 11th consecutive game.

Andersen has started seven straight games, his longest string of the season, and is 5-1 with a 1.65 goals-against average and .936 save percentage. Raanta, who last played on April 25, started Carolina's first five playoff games is 3-2 with a 2.59 GAA and .906 save percentage.

He is also 8-1 with 1.78 GAA, .933 save percentage and one shutout in 13 home playoff games (11 starts) in his NHL career.

2. Start strong

The Panthers and Hurricanes each like to play with speed and be aggressive on the forecheck, but finding the legs to do that from the drop of the puck will be a challenge because of any lingering fatigue from Game 1. Getting through that early could give either team an advantage.

Carolina took until the third period of Game 1, when it outshot Florida 14-2, to establish the sustained offensive-zone pressure that is usually its trademark, so wants to get to that game more quickly in Game 2.

"It's a great team we're playing," Brind'Amour said. "They got to their game. We would like to, obviously, do a little better job earlier. You want to start on time, but at the end of the day, when you look at that game as a whole, in the game we gave up 20 shots (in regulation)."

3. Time to kill

The Panthers were the better team 5-on-5 in Game 1, scoring each of their three goals at even strength and eventually winning because of it. But the Hurricanes were a Jarvis shot off the crossbar in the first overtime away from scoring a third power-play goal and winning with their special teams play.

Carolina was 2-for-6 on the man advantage in Game 1 and killed off all three Florida power plays while yielding a total of two shots on goal. The Hurricanes are a League-best 30-for-33 (90.9 percent) on the penalty kill in the playoffs. The Panthers are 29-for-44 (65.9 percent) on the penalty kill.

This could be a difference maker in a game at some point between two otherwise evenly matched teams.

"We're asking our penalty kill to give us the moments we need," Maurice said. "Get the kill in overtime. We don't care if we gave up two (power-play goals in regulation). Just get the kill in overtime. The power play is going to be a challenge because that penalty kill is a beast. It's not just good. They're not hot. They've been good for five years."