RECAP: Panthers 5, Hurricanes 2

SUNRISE, Fla. – In a rematch of last year’s Eastern Conference Final, the Florida Panthers got the better of the Carolina Hurricanes once again in a 5-2 win at Amerant Bank Arena on Friday.

Extending their winning streak to three games, Florida now sits at 8-4-1 in the standings.

“We had all four lines going today," captain Aleksander Barkov said. "We played the right way. We know whenever we play against Carolina it’s going to be a tough, tough grind from start to finish. I think we had a pretty good grind today.”

In the win, 10 different Panthers skaters recorded at least one point.

“We had some guys have really good nights,” head coach Paul Maurice said. “Some of them weren’t on the scoresheet. I thought Eetu Luostarinen had his best game of the year by far. He was outstanding tonight. We had a bit of that tonight. [The Hurricanes] are a real good team.”

After two huge saves in rapid succession from Sergei Bobrovsky, the Hurricanes opened the scoring when Jesper Kotkaniemi buried a rebound to make it 1-0 at 1:20 of the first period.

Picking up right where he left off against the Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final, Matthew Tkachuk evened the score when he collected a centering feed from Carter Verhaeghe in the slot and fired a shot past Antti Raanta’s outstretched paddle to make it 1-1 at 3:01.

For those watching, the goal was reminiscent of his series-clincher in Game 4.

“He does excel in these games,” Maurice said of Tkachuk, who extended his point streak to five games with the important tying tally. “I’m happy for him. He doesn’t care about points. He truly doesn’t. He’ll play with anybody. It’s good that he gets a positive result and to feel really good.”

Flying up the ice on a 3-on-2 rush, the Panthers took the lead when Luostarinen absorbed a big hit before dropping a pass back to Tkachuk, who then set up Latvian legend Uvis Balinskis for a tap-in goal from the doorstep with a silky-smooth backdoor pass to make it 2-1 at 18:53.

On the play, Balinskis earned his first NHL goal and point.

“It’s really crazy,” said Balinskis, who signed a one-year deal with the Panthers this past summer after leading all defensemen in scoring in the Czech league in 2022-23. “I was happy to make an NHL team and play the first game of the season. Now, to score my first NHL goal, it’s unreal.”

Continuing to dominate out of the gate, Florida’s top line put on a show in the second period.

After Sam Reinhart dug out a puck along the wall and sent it into the right circle, Evan Rodrigues pounced on the rubber and immediately sent it across the ice to Barkov, who then kicked out his leg and beat Raanta with a one-timer from the left circle to make it 3-1 at 7:08.

In 13 games this season, that dynamic trio is a combined +28.

“It’s easy with those two guys,” Barkov said. “They’re really smart players.”

Getting that goal back for the Hurricanes, Sebastian Aho found a loose puck right outside the goal after a shot was blocked in the slot and fired it past Bobrovsky to make it 3-2 at 16:40.

At 13:18, Verhaeghe showed off his eye-hand coordination and doubled the lead for the Panthers when he deftly tipped in a point shot from Gustav Forsling to make it 4-2. Officials initially disallowed the goal saying it was touched with a high stick, but it was upheld after a review.

With 3:42 left in regulation, Kevin Stenlund sealed the 5-2 win with an empty-net goal.

“We talk a lot about the start,” Barkov said of the Cats putting themselves into a playoff spot early this season. “Last year we started well the first five games, but then we got a little drop with injuries and stuff. This year, same thing, we have injuries, but we have a lot of the same guys, so we know the systems. We’ve just got to grind. Today was a good two-point grind.”

Improving to 5-0-1 over his last six starts, Bobrovsky finished with 28 saves.

THEY SAID IT

“He earned it. He comes over here, completely different league, doesn’t know anybody, training camp’s really difficult, and he earned his spot in the lineup. He played his 10 games [before sitting]. I think a bit of a reset almost rejuvenated him. He’s been good. He’s been really good for us, but he was even faster tonight.” – Paul Maurice on Uvis Balinskis getting back into the lineup after being scratched the last two games

“They defended very hard, lots of blocked shots. They played a tight, tight game. It’s a big win. It took all the guys tonight, for sure.” – Sergei Bobrovsky on Florida’s defense in tonight’s win

“My phone’s probably blowing up. It’s nice. It’s a dream come true for me, my family, for everyone. It’s an amazing feeling.” – Uvis Balinskis on scoring his first NHL goal

CATS STATS

- Uvis Balinskis is just the fifth Latvian-born defenseman to score a goal in the NHL.

- Matthew Tkachuk recorded his 38th multi-point game since the start of last season.

- Aleksander Barkov has scored in three straight games.

- Sam Reinhart has tallied multiple points in eight of 13 games this season.

- The Panthers have won six of their last eight regular-season matchups with Carolina.

- Florida’s PK didn’t surrender a single shot on goal over three power plays for the Hurricanes.

- Niko Mikkola and Kevin Stenlund each blocked four shots.

WHAT’S NEXT?

Who’s up for a matinee?

Going for a split of their season series, the Panthers will have revenge on their mind when they host the Chicago Blackhawks at Amerant Bank Arena on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.

For tickets, click here.