Eastern Conference Final Primer: Panthers 'riding the wave' into Carolina

What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object?

We're about to find out.

Meeting for the first time ever in the postseason, former Southeast Division foes will square off when the Florida Panthers clash with the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final, which kicks off Thursday at 8 p.m. ET at PNC Arena in Raleigh.

"I think it's a good matchup," Panthers forward Anton Lundell said. "They have a lot of good players, and so do we. We just need to play our own game. I think we just have to play together, play tight as a team and not give them too many chances."

This will be the second appearance for the Panthers in the Eastern Conference Final, with their only other appearance coming in 1996 when they reached the Stanley Cup Final in just their third season of existence. The Hurricanes, who won their first and only Stanley Cup in 2006, are making their fifth appearance in the Eastern Conference Final, with their last trip coming in 2019.

"I don't think I know if it's sunk in or if we're really allowing ourselves to let it sink in," Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk said. "We're just kind of riding the wave right now and letting the good times roll. It's fun to come to he rink every day and be at the rink every day. We're still standing here."

PATH TO THE EASTERN CONFERENCE FINAL

Panthers: After finishing the regular season on a 6-1-1 run to sneak into the playoffs by one point, the Panthers pulled off one of the greatest upsets in NHL history when they clawed back from a 3-1 series deficit to eliminate the 65-win Bruins in seven games in the first round. Taking that momentum into Round 2, they then dispatched the star-studded Maple Leafs in five games.

Hurricanes:Winning the Metropolitan Division in 2022-23, the Hurricanes kicked off their playoff run by eliminating the Islanders in six games in the first round. Making quicker work of their next opponent, they sent the Devils packing in just five games in the second round. Suffocating New Jersey's fast and young offense, they surrendered just nine goals throughout the entire series.

HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD IN 2022-23

Florida:1-2-0

Carolina: 2-1-0

A LOOK AT FLORIDA

Top Scorers:Matthew Tkachuk (5G, 11A, 16P), Carter Verhaeghe (5G, 7A, 12P), Brandon Montour (6G, 3A, 9P), Aleksander Barkov (2G, 7A, 9P), Sam Reinhart (6G, 2A, 8P)

Goaltenders: Sergei Bobrovsky (7-2, 2.82 GAA, .918 SV%), Alex Lyon (1-2, 3.26 GAA, .902 SV%)

Center of Attention:After racking up a career-high 109 points (40 goals, 69 assists) during the regular season, Matthew Tkachuk, a finalist for the Hart Trophy, has cracked the scoresheet in nine of 12 games in the playoffs, including posting five multi-point performances. In many ways, Tkachuk's arrival from Calgary this past summer has been the biggest driver of change for the Panthers.

X-Factor: Do you have a moment to talk about Swaggy? Possibly the most-underrated player in the NHL, Carter Verhaeghe always elevates his game come playoff time. Already sitting second on the franchise's all-time playoff scoring leaderboard, the softspoken sniper has scored five goals in this year's playoffs, including the series-clinching goal in overtime in Game 7 against Boston in Round 1. Given a green light to let it rip, he leads Florida with 45 scoring chances in the postseason.

On the Blue Line: On the heels of career-best 73-point campaign, Brandon Montour ranks first among NHL defenseman in the playoffs with six goals. Also getting in on the offense, Gustav Forsling and Aaron Ekblad have each notched five points. Supplementing those offensive blueliners with an intimidating presence and playstyle, Radko Gudas has registered a team-leading 52 hits.

Between the Pipes:After late-season hero Alex Lyon manned the crease to start the playoffs, Sergei Bobrovsky has been lights out ever since he re-entered the blue paint. Never giving up more than two goals in a game in Round 2, the two-time Vezina Trophy winner stopped 164 of 174 shots for a .943 save percentage against Toronto, including making 50 high-danger saves. When Bobrovsky gets hot, look out!

A LOOK AT CAROLINA

Top Scorers: Sebastian Aho (5G, 5A, 10P), Jordan Martinook (3G, 7A, 10P), Jesper Fast (5G, 3A, 8P), Seth Jarvis (4G, 4A, 8P), Jordan Staal (2G, 6A, 8P), Brent Burns (2G, 6A, 8P)

Goaltenders:Frederik Andersen (5-0, 1.80 GAA, .931 SV%), Antti Raanta (3-2, 2.59 GAA, .906 SV%)

Center of Attention: While the Hurricanes pride themselves on their defense, Sebastian Aho can fill up the back of the net with the best of them. After scoring a career-high 37 goals in 2021-22, he fell just short of matching that total with 36 goals this past season. Tied for first on the Hurricanes with 10 points in the playoffs, he's lit the lamp in five of 11 games thus far in the postseason.

X-Factor: What will Teuvo Teravainen bring to the table? That's one of the main questions heading into this series. After suffering a hand injury in Game 2 of Carolina's first-round series with the Islanders, the 28-year-old forward could potentially return to the lineup as early as Game 1 against the Panthers. Although he only scored 12 goals in 68 games during the regular season, Teravainen is a proven playoff performer. In 75 career playoff games, he's posted 43 points (20 goals, 23 assists).

On the Blue Line:The two biggest bodies on Carolina's deep back end are Brent Burns and Jaccob Slavin. An elite pair at both ends of the ice, the Hurricanes have led 103-77 in scoring chances and 13-3 in goals when that dynamic duo has been on the ice at 5-on-5 in the postseason. In particular, Burns has looked rejuvenated since being acquired by the Hurricanes after 11 seasons in San Jose. Suiting up in all 82 games in 2022-23, he recorded 61 points (18 goals, 43 assists).

Between the Pipes:The Hurricanes have used three different goaltenders in the playoffs so far, but they'll be riding Frederik Andersen to start the series against Florida. Stepping back into the blue paint in Game 6 against the Islanders, he's gone 5-0 with a .931 save percentage since. That being said, he's also been far from perfect. In Game 3 against the Devils in Round 2, he was yanked after giving up four goals on 12 shots. Which Andersen will the Panthers see during this series? Only time will tell.

MISC. STORYLINES

Welcome Back: This series will be sort of a homecoming for Paul Maurice, who coached the Hurricanes for 11 seasons over two stints (1997-2003, 2008-2011). In that time, he led Carolina to the 2002 Stanley Cup Final and also coached current Carolina bench boss Rod Brind'Amour.

Happy Staalidays: It's a good time to be a Staal. In this series, Eric and Marc Staal of the Panthers will take on brother Jordan Staal of the Hurricanes. This will be the seventh time that three brothers have squared off in a series in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, with the last instance occurring in 1992 when Brent Sutter of Chicago defeated Rich and Ron Sutter of St. Louis.

More Goliaths: Going off the regular season, the Panthers beat a team that had 43 more points than them in Round 1 (Boston) and team that had 19 more points than them Round 2 (Toronto). In Round 3, they'll face a Carolina squad that had 21 more points than them. In NHL history, only three other teams have faced three teams in the playoffs that had 19-plus point advantage during the regular season.

Special Teams Battle:The Hurricanes are almost more dangerous down a man than up one. Going 27-for-30 (90%) on the penalty kill, they've scored four shorthanded goals in the playoffs. On the power play, they've looked fairly average, going 7-for-37 (18.9%). The Panthers, meanwhile, have gone 8-for-29 (27.6%) on the power play in the playoffs. Strong on both sides of special teams in Round 2, they converted at 33.3% on the power play and 81.8% on the penalty kill against Toronto.

Even-Strength Action: Despite controlling 48.93% of shot attempts, the Panthers, who were one of the top even-strength teams in the NHL during the regular season, have outscored the opposition 25-21 in goals at 5-on-5 in the playoffs. Carolina, meanwhile, has controlled 53.63% of shot attempts while leading 27-21 in goals at 5-on-5. Doing an outstanding job of getting to the net, Florida has compiled 124 high-danger shots at 5-on-5, just edging out Carolina's 121.

Selke Centers: One of the top head-to-head matchups in this series will likely be between Aleksander Barkov and Jordan Staal. Two of the top-defensive centers in the NHL, Barkov won the Selke Trophy in 2021, while Staal often finishes among the top-10 in voting. Looking at the battle in the circle, Barkov leads the Panthers and ranks third in the NHL with 111 faceoff wins in the playoffs, while Staal is tied for fifth with 95. For both players, getting the upper hand in this series will be key.

Let's Get Physical: The Panthers found success making the Bruins and Maple Leafs very uncomfortable through their physical play and relentless forechecking. Thanks to that approach, they not only forced a lot of turnovers, but also clearly won the mental battle the longer each series went on. Florida has recorded 452 hits in the playoffs, while Carolina has dished out 364. We know the Hurricanes can take a punch, but how much will they push back against the Cats? Both teams are tough, both play a hard-gap game and both love contact. It should be great TV.

CATS QUOTES

"I think each matchup is their own. We're expecting a different game from Carolina than from what we've seen. They're a tough team, but it's going to be a lot of fun. It's going to be a hard series." - Josh Mahura

"To be honest, we're just playing a little differently. Last year we obviously had great success in the regular season, but it doesn't always translate. We're playing a different style of hocky. We're a tight group. We're all composed. We're having a lot of fun playing hockey and playing for each other." - Carter Verhaeghe

"This is the dream everybody dreams of when you're a kid growing up. You always watch the NHL playoffs, that's the biggest thing of the year. I'm really happy and I'm really excited to be here and get the opportunity to still play hockey. We want to make the best out of it." - Anton Lundell

"It kind of seems like all the pieces are falling together at the right time for us. I thought the last two weeks of the regular season were probably the best hockey we'd played all year. … It just goes to show you to that anything can happen in the playoffs." - Nick Cousins

"[The Hurricanes] have been unbelievable all year. One of the top teams points-wise in the league. They gave us some trouble this year and have dominated most of the teams that they've played. We're going to have our hands full and we'll be ready." - Matthew Tkachuk

"Both teams will have more energy, more jump. I think it'll look different just because of styles. This series will look more, in terms of defense, like the Boston series, the grind of that series. It'll be heavy. There will be a lot of hitting. It shouldn't be easy to move the puck from one end of the ice to the other." - Paul Maurice

EASTERN CONFERENCE FINAL SCHEDULE

| Thurs, May 18 | 8 p.m. ET | Florida at Carolina | TNT, SN, CBC, TVAS | | Sat, May 20 | 8 p.m. ET | Florida at Carolina | TNT, SN, CBC, TVAS | | Mon, May 22 | 8 p.m. ET | Carolina at Florida | TNT, SN, CBC, TVAS | | Wed, May 24 | 8 p.m. ET | Carolina at Florida | TNT, SN, CBC, TVAS | | \Fri, May 26 | 8 p.m. ET | Florida at Carolina | TNT, SN, CBC, TVAS | | \Sun, May 28 | 8 p.m. ET | Carolina at Florida | TNT, SN, CBC, TVAS | | *Tues, May 30 | 8 p.m. ET | Florida at Carolina | TNT, SN, CBC, TVAS | | Date | Time | Matchup | Networks | | --- | --- | --- | --- |

\If Necessary*

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