3 goals in 5 shots in the very first period. That’s how the Florida Panthers opened Game 2 against the Carolina Hurricanes in their home stadium. Yet, the Canes’ frustration started less than two minutes into Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals. “Gustav Forsling! A minute-seventeen into the game and the Florida defense strikes again,” said the announcer as the defenseman opened the scoring.

The hits started coming in almost immediately. While Carolina did look like they could score on some breakaways, Sergei Bobrovsky locked down the net. The frustration reached fever pitch when Andrei Svechnikov escalated things, leading to a costly penalty. “I didn’t like it. It’s just another example of how they look a little bit unglued,” said Elliotte Friedman. So what exactly happened?

Well, things started when Svechnikov boarded Tkachuk, and the Cats’ alternate captain responded with a glancing hit on the Canes’ star’s back. However, the Carolina Hurricanes winger lost his cool the next time they collided, landing a second shot behind Tkachuk’s head. “This is where it goes over the line,” said Friedman. “The more you do it, the more you risk getting the call,” the analyst added.

That’s exactly what happened with Andrei Svechnikov. The officials gave the forward the “unnecessary roughing” penalty, as per The Hockey Writers. But Svechnikov’s punishment didn’t end there. Sam Bennett capitalized on the power play that followed, scoring the Florida Panthers’ third goal of the first period. “That’s just an example of how Carolina is completely discombobulated,” said Elliotte Friedman.

That being said, it wasn’t hard to see why the Carolina Hurricanes felt flustered. They dominated their divisional rivals, the Washington Capitals, in Round 2, shutting down whatever strategy the Caps came up with. Remember the Canes making 90 shot attempts in 60 minutes in Game 1 against the Capitals? Unfortunately, they’ve failed to replicate that so far in the Conference Finals against the Cats.

The Florida Panthers outclassed the Carolina Hurricanes

The Florida Panthers didn’t just beat the Canes; they outplayed, outshot, and outsaved the Metropolitan Division’s top regular season team. Although the Canes came into the game hoping home advantage would help them get an edge over the Panthers, who were already on the road after cooking Toronto out of the playoffs, that hope died in Game 1.

The Panthers showed no fatigue as they traveled from Toronto to North Carolina, beating them 5-2 in game one. However, Coach Paul Maurice didn’t like just how much ground the Carolina Hurricanes got in Game 1. Sergei Bobrovsky saved 31 out of 33 shots on goal. “I think the goalies need to be protected,” Elliotte Friedman said on Sportsnet after the game. And that’s exactly what the Cats did.

A super tight defense and relentless offense from the Panthers meant the Rats could take many shots. Bobrovsky only had to make 17 saves to earn his third shutout of the 2024-25 playoffs. And while the Panthers didn’t shower the Canes’ net with shots, they still fired the puck more often and were far more accurate. Frederik Andersen could only save 12 of the 16 shots from the Canes.

Pyotr Kochetkov, who replaced him in the third period, did only slightly better, saving five out of the six shots from the Panthers. Coach Rod Brind’Amour also didn’t have much of an explanation about why the Hurricanes fell apart. “I don’t know what I was watching in the first period. That didn’t go well… I think the intentions were good, everyone was trying … but it’s not how we do it, and it just backfired,” said the Carolina Hurricanes coach. However, the NHL team will need to come up with a response fast, or risk continuing the legacy of not winning a single Conference Final since 2006.