“You have to be able to survive.” Paul Maurice‘s words were probably enough to make anyone understand that the Florida Panthers were going to take every advantage of playing on home ice in Game 3 against the Hurricanes. The postseason series between the two Eastern Conference heavyweights has been heated, but Eetu Luostarinen might have taken things a bit too seriously.

The defending Stanley Cup champs hit the Amerant Arena with hopes of extending their lead in the Eastern Conference Finals, and it looks like no quarters will be given once again. The first two matches of the best-of-seven game series had already made it clear that this year’s Eastern Finals would be a highly contentious one. However, it also might have caused the Florida Panthers’ Finnish star to get a little too carried away.

The official Sportsnet account shared scenes from tonight’s Florida Panthers vs. Carolina Hurricanes, showcasing how the Cats’ third-line winger Eetu Luostarinen was ejected in the first period. “Eetu Luostarinen was assessed a five-minute major and a game misconduct for boarding on this hit against Jackson Blake,” reads the caption of the post, as the accompanying video shows the Finn roughing up the Canes’ forward.

After Luostarinen boarded Blake, the Florida Panthers star’s action was assessed and resulted in a 5-minute major penalty with 3:01 left in the first period. Blake crashed headfirst into the glass and remained down on the ice before getting back to his feet. A stream of blood trickled down his face as Blake skated off. But the hit didn’t catch the Sportsnet telecasters off guard. Instead, knowing the Florida Panthers’ play style, it was only obvious to them that such hits were always on the table.

“They follow everything, they hit everything, it’s the way they’re wired and it’s how they do it and they have been really hard on a number of the forwards on Carolina,” the Sportsnet panelist could be heard saying in the video. “I think Blake’s very fortunate that he’s coming back with maybe some sutures to his face, and that might be it. That could have been a lot worse and there’s not a lot of argument coming from Paul Maurice,” the NHL analyst went on about how the Panthers coach wouldn’t have much to say to protect Eetu.

The Florida star laced up for Saturday’s game, tied for the team lead with 13 points (4 goals, 9 assists) and leading the NHL in plus-minus (plus-12) this postseason. And yet, his deeds would be difficult to defend, even for Coach Maurice. But this wouldn’t be the first time that the Panthers’ boss had to keep his mouth shut after seeing how his players went after their foes.

In April, during the Cats’ first-round collision with arch-rivals Tampa Bay, the tussle between Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Hagel prompted the Bolts’ coach to vent to reporters. On the other hand, the Florida Panthers’ top man chose to instead evade all questions on the matter. “I’ll stay in my lane,” Paul said, choosing to refrain from weighing in on the matter. Despite his reluctance to keep mum, the Panthers went on to decimate their in-state opponents to reach the second round of the playoffs. But could the same happen this time, too?

Florida Panthers one step closer to keeping the Cup in Miami

Florida is just one step away from making it to the Stanley Cup Finals for the third consecutive year. Despite finishing the regular season behind the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Tampa Bay Lightning, the reigning champs have managed to defeat both of the Atlantic Division heavyweights en route to making the Eastern Conference Finals. And they look just as sturdy now.

In Game 3 against the Hurricanes, the Florida Panthers picked up another electrifying 6-2 victory against Rod Brind’Amour’s boys. Two goals each by captain Aleksander Barkov and Niko Mikkola, aided by one apiece by Brad Marchand and Jesper Boqvist, brought the Cats their third victory in the best-of-seven series. Evidently, replacing Frederik Andersen with Pyotr Kochetkov did little to help Carolina bounce back from its miseries. But don’t let the current situation fool you, the defending Stanley Cup champs won’t be losing their grip on the situation right now.

Before the series kicked off, the Panthers’ Matthew Tkachuk made it clear that playing against Carolina is never an easy task. “I don’t think really anybody enjoys playing Carolina,” the American star said about the steep climb that awaited Florida in the Conference Finals. But his anxiety proved to be true in the very first game the two teams collided in the postseason.

The Cats’ goalie, Sergei Bobrovsky, took a major beating at the hands of Brind’Amour’s team. So much so that even sportscasters noted their uneasiness at how the netminder had to fend off more than just the puck Lenovo Center. In Game 2, the Canes’ Sebastian Aho nearly took out Florida’s Sam Reinhart, leaving fans in fury.

But all that seems to have only made the Panthers all the more determined to sweep Carolina without a second thought. Do you see a similar situation unfolding when the action returns to Amerant Bank Arena for Game 4? Tell us your predictions for Monday’s game in a comment!