The Carolina Hurricanes were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs by the Florida Panthers with a 5-3 loss in Game 5 of the best-of-7 Eastern Conference Final at Lenovo Center in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Wednesday.
Carolina (47-30-5) finished second in the Metropolitan Division and qualified for the playoffs for the seventh consecutive season, winning at least one series in each of those postseasons.
The Hurricanes defeated the New Jersey Devils in five games in the first round and the Washington Capitals in five games in the second round before being losing to the Panthers in the conference final for the second time in three seasons.
Carolina has not advanced past the conference final since winning the Stanley Cup in 2006. The Hurricanes had lost 15 consecutive games in the conference final round before their 3-0 victory in Game 4, including four-game sweeps against the Pittsburgh Penguins (2009), Boston Bruins (2019) and Panthers (2023).
The skinny
Potential unrestricted free agents: Jack Roslovic, F; Eric Robinson, F; Tyson Jost, F; Jesper Fast, F (did not play, injured); Juha Jaaska, F; Brent Burns, D; Dmitry Orlov, D; Riley Stillman, D; Spencer Martin, G; Dustin Tokarski, G
Potential restricted free agents: Ryan Suzuki, F; Skyler Brind'Amour, F; Ty Smith, D; Yaniv Perets, G
Potential 2025 Draft picks: 6
Here are five reasons the Hurricanes were eliminated:
1. Found their game too late
Used to wearing down opponents with their relentless forecheck, the Hurricanes were unable to find their footing against the Panthers until Game 4 and trailed the defending Stanley Cup champions 3-0 in the series by then. Florida, which is headed to its third straight Stanley Cup Final, seemed to make all the big plays at the right moments and executed at a high level, diffusing Carolina's forecheck and outscoring it 16-4 in the first three games.
Conversely, the Hurricanes made uncharacteristic mistakes and lost composure at key moments. They started to have success when they finally were able to establish some sustained pressure with their forecheck in Games 4 and 5, but had already dug themselves too big a hole to recover from.
2. Panthers were deeper
When the Hurricanes' big players struggled to produce early in the series, no one picked up the slack. Carolina's lone 5-on-5 goal in the first three games deflected in off Sebastian Aho's skate in the first period of Game 1. Only five Carolina players scored goals in the series with Aho leading the way with four, but three came in the final two games.
Seth Jarvis and Logan Stankoven (game-winner in Game 4) each scored two goals in the series. Jordan Staal and Jackson Blake scored one apiece. In contrast, the Panthers had 13 different players score goals in the series. Five Florida players scored multiple goals, led by Sam Bennett with four.
3. Chasing games
Carolina fell behind in the first period of each of the first three games and did not hold a lead until Stankoven's goal 10:45 into the second period of Game 4. Playing from behind was not a strength for the Hurricanes and asking for trouble against the Panthers, who are 9-2 in the playoffs when scoring first after going 33-10-0 when getting first goal in the regular season.
The Hurricanes were 6-1 when scoring first in the playoffs, but 3-5 when giving up in the first goal. It was similar during the regular season, Carolina was 30-7-2 when scoring first and 17-23-3 when allowing the first goal.
4. Injuries on defense
Playing without Jalen Chatfield (undisclosed injury) for the entire series and Sean Walker (undisclosed injury) after Game 2 was too much for Carolina's defense to overcome. Without a veteran depth option to plug in, the Hurricanes had to play rookies Alexander Nikishin and Scott Morrow. Nikishin made his NHL debut in Game 5 of the second round. Morrow had never previously played in the NHL playoffs.
Nikishin looked more comfortable as the series progressed, but Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour limited Morrow's ice time (10:29 per game). Dmitry Orlov struggled without Chatfield, his usual defense partner. He had a nightmarish Game 3, when he was on the ice for the Panthers' first four goals in a 6-2 loss, and he was victimized by Aleksander Barkov when Barkov's set up Carter Verhaeghe's winner in Game 5.
5. Goalies couldn't stop bleeding
Frederik Andersen wasn't tested a lot in the first two rounds, but was sharp when called upon, going 7-2 and leading the NHL in goals-against average (1.36) and save percentage (.937). Andersen's .923 save percentage on high-danger shots on goal was also best in the League, per NHL EDGE Advanced Stats.
That changed from the start of Game 1 against Florida, when he allowed five goals on 20 shots, including three on five high-danger shots, in a 5-2 loss. Andersen allowed four goals on 16 shots, including three on five high-danger shots, in the first two periods of Game 2 before being replaced by Pyotr Kochetkov. It was Kochetkov's turn in Game 3, when the Panthers scored five straight goals in the third period of a 6-2 win. Andersen returned to post a 20-save shutout in Game 4, but he allowed goals on three consecutive shots in the second period of Game 5 when the Panthers turned a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 lead.
