News Hurricanes Team Notes

[Carolina Hurricanes]

May 17, Links and Open Thread

WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 15: Alex Ovechkin #8 of the Washington Capitals greets Jordan Staal #11 of the Carolina Hurricanes following Game Five of the Second Round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Capital One Arena on May 15, 2025 in Washington, DC. Carolina defeated Washington 3-1. | Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Here are a few links and a place for fresh conversation

The Carolina Hurricanes are still waiting to see who their opponent will be in the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Leafs played very well last night in Florida, but will they succumb to the pressures of playing a game seven at home?

The “experts” who place the betting odds have the Panthers favored (-135). We will see.

Speaking of odds, Money Puck has revised their odds of winning the Cup after Toronto’s win last night.

Chances after Leafs force game 7 https://t.co/RbnckCMfDn pic.twitter.com/qPzloFl6to

— MoneyPuck.com (@MoneyPuckdotcom) May 17, 2025​

Here is an interesting look at the team chef for Carolina and some of the meals he makes. (spoiler alert) Apparently, Jalen Chatfield does not like crust on his bread.

Here are a couple more links that you might find of interest:

https://www.si.com/nhl/si-am-alex-ovechkin-s-dream-season-comes-to-an-end

Seven straight years of playoffs and 84 games provide a lot of experience. So far the boys have put it to good use.

https://www.nhl.com/news/poise-experience-boost-carolina-hurricanes-in-game-5

After coming in second in the league in scoring, (3.49 goals per game), the Capitals could only muster 1.4 goals per game against Carolina. No Washington player had more than two points and no one had more than one goal. Now that is boring!

https://russianmachineneverbreaks.c...the-hurricanes-numbers-for-the-morning-after/

Source: https://www.canescountry.com/2025/5/17/24432165/may-17-open-thread

 

[Carolina Hurricanes]

Florida Panthers beat Toronto, will face the Carolina Hurricanes starting Tuesday

Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images

In nearly an identical performance from Game 5, the Panthers won’t get any rest as the Eastern Conference Final starts in Raleigh Tuesday.

The Carolina Hurricanes have been relaxing since Thursday, waiting to see who would come out of the Toronto/Florida series. After a shellacking in game five last Wednesday, it seemed like it was going to be Florida—but the Maple Leafs went down to Miami and clawed their way for a Game Seven Sunday.

There was hope that it would be a competitive game since after the first period it was 0-0. Then Florida scored three goals in short order in the second, and immediately answered a Toronto score with two more in the third before adding in an empty netter for good measure.

So the NHL’s Final Four is set, and thanks to an announcement from the NHL after Dallas eliminated Winnipeg on Saturday, we know when the Eastern Conference Final will start and who will show it. In the end, the Canes won’t have to wait much longer though they do at least get to stay right where they are.

Here’s the schedule:

• Game 1: Tuesday, May 20 @ 8 PM (Raleigh, NC — Lenovo Center) TNT, truTV, and Max
• Game 2: Thursday, May 22 @ 8 PM (Raleigh, NC — Lenovo Center) TNT, truTV, and Max
• Game 3: Saturday, May 24 @ 8 PM (Sunrise, FL — Amerant Bank Arena) TNT, truTV, and Max
• Game 4: Monday, May 26 @ 8 PM (Sunrise, FL — Amerant Bank Arena) TNT, truTV, and Max
• x-Game 5: Wednesday, May 28 @ 8 PM (Raleigh, NC — Lenovo Center) TNT, truTV, and Max*
• x-Game 6: Friday, May 30 @ 8 PM (Sunrise, FL — Amerant Bank Arena) TNT, truTV, and Max*
• x-Game 7: Sunday, June 1 @ 8 PM (Raleigh, NC — Lenovo Center) TNT, truTV, and Max*

*Games 5,6,7 if necessary

The Hurricanes will be looking for revenge after being swept out of the playoffs two years ago, while the Panthers look to become the first repeat Stanley Cup Champion since the Tampa Bay Lightening in 2020 and 2021. For the first time in the postseason the Canes will be the betting underdog as Florida has experience and a style that could give the Canes fits. They are also facing a goalie in Sergei Bobrovsky who has gotten stronger as the postseason has gone on and has stoned the Canes before.

For what it’s worth, the Panthers won the series this season 2-1, but their last game was January 2nd and the Canes won it on the road 3-1. A little bit has happened for both teams since then.

We’ll see if the test of the Game Seven versus the rest of the Canes will help on Tuesday Night.

Source: https://www.canescountry.com/2025/5...face-the-carolina-hurricanes-starting-tuesday

 

[Carolina Hurricanes]

Canes Country Pick’em, Round 3

RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA - MAY 10: Fans tailgate outside Lenovo Center prior to Game Three of the Second Round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Washington Capitals on May 10, 2025 in Raleigh, North Carolina. | Photo by NHL Images/NHLI via Getty Images

Tailgates are for everyone

Round 2 is now complete so it is time to make your picks for the next round!

With only four teams remaining, it is easier now, or is it?

Once again, the points are earned as follows:

R1: one point for the correct winner, five bonus points for the correct winner and length (potential for 48 points)

R2: two points, five bonus points (potential for 28 points)

R3: four points, five bonus points (potential for 18 points)

SCF: eight points, five bonus points (potential for 13 points)

Please submit your picks in the following format, to make it easier to enter the information into the super spreadsheet.

CAR or FLA - # of games

DAL or EDM - # of games

Thanks again to “Bambamcanefan” for keeping score. I will leave this open until 7 P.M. Tuesday night. If anyone has questions, feel free to ask!

DavioParker 36

Samboliniboygenie 35

D-ball65 33

bambamcanefan 32

McAteer 32

CaniacK9 30

Ecupirate07 30

HootiePepper 30

Canes-n-Bacon 29

Holiday_Canes 29

JBihlStaal11 28

Madbaximus 28

Markmcnc 28

Caniac1997 27

Ice_pack 27

CanesENC 26

CaniacJeffy14 26

HurricaneWhaler 26

reggie101 26

formersaint 25

JaffMan 25

Ronnie Franchise 25

TarryT22 25

UsedPuckBag 25

Bigfist 24

CanesHockeyFan 24

naykm 24

Foba_Bett 23

Justafansorry 22

Cavedwellers127 21

HurricaneSirPurr13 21

SCarolinaCanesFan 21

The Night King 21

The Tick 21

campbesc 20

Illiniman75 20

LGCanes321 20

Panthers59 20

Take-Warning! 20

RoxboroCaniac 19

eburges1 18

Teewig 17

Michael Cullen 13

packpowerfan 13

M.Evans19 12

mburgess00 12

Raleigh Icecap 12

trailerparkromeo 12

CoastalCane 11

Shoresbridge 11

NoVACanes 11

b.axeman 10

dlee27701 10

prplmnkydw 10

ptblespaul 10

Lostripper 9

Arrowman007 8

Goldy Shuffle 6

Wolfpack_Caniac 4

Source: https://www.canescountry.com/2025/5/19/24433291/canes-country-pickem-round-3

 

[Carolina Hurricanes]

Things Ain’t What They Used To Be - Hurricanes vs Panthers, Series Preview

Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images

The Panthers swept the Hurricanes in four close games in the 2023 ECF’s, but these are different teams

Rounds one and two are wrapped up and the NHL is down to the final four teams in the quest for Lord Stanley’s Cup.

While the Oilers and Stars do battle in the West, the Carolina Hurricanes face off against the Florida Panthers in a rematch of the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals here in the East.

The Panthers defeated an experienced Tampa Bay Lightning and (some say) a cursed Toronto Maple Leafs to get to this point.

The Canes beat the injury depleted New Jersey Devils and the regular season Eastern Conference Champion, Washington Capitals, both in five games.

As of this writing, the Panthers are a slight favorite in this series, though the Hurricanes have the home ice advantage. The Canes have yet to lose this postseason in Raleigh and had one of the league’s best regular season records on home ice.

A lazy journalist or oddsmaker may look at the results of the 2023 series and think the Panthers would sweep the Canes again. But, let’s take a closer look.

First of all, one of Carolina’s best players, Andrei Svechnikov, was injured that postseason. How important is Svechnikov to the Hurricanes?

So far, he has scored 8 goals in 10 games to lead his team. He is also a physical presence and an excellent passer.

In 2023, let’s take a look at the starting game one lineup for Carolina.

Mackenzie MacEachern - Sebastian Aho - Seth Jarvis

Jordan Martinook - Jesperi Kotkaniemi - Martin Necas

Stefan Noesen - Jordan Staal - Jesper Fast

Derek Stepan - Paul Stastny - Jesse Puljujarvi

To start out the series, Teravainen was also injured.

The defense is the same except that Sean Walker and Dmitri Orlov replaced Brett Pesce and Brady Skjei.

The goalies were Fred Andersen and Antti Raanta.

There is no doubt the forward lines are upgraded, even though as PK Subban would say, “they lost Martin Necas”.

The expected forward lines for the Canes on Tuesday will be-

Svechnikov - Aho - Jarvis

Hall - Roslovic - Stankoven

Martinook - Staal - Carrier

Robinson - Kotkaniemi - Blake

No doubt, the Panthers are a different team as well. Most notably, Brad Marchand and Seth Jones are at the top of the “newbie” list.

Marchand leads the team with 12 points in 12 games as does Eetu Luostarinen.

Reinhart has 11 points while Barkov and Lundell each have 10, (also in 12 games).

We have yet to even get to Bennett and Tkachuk, who each have 9 points.

Rodrigues - Barkov - Reinhart

Verhaeghe - Bennett - Tkachuk

Luostarinen - Lundell - Marchand

Greer - Nosek - Gadjovich

(Luostarinen was originally a Carolina second round pick in 2020. He was traded to the Panthers along with several other assets in exchange for Vincent Trocheck.)

Forsling - Ekblad

Jones - Mikkola

Schmidt - Kulikov

The Panthers seem loaded. But let’s face it, they were playing against Toronto’s backup goalie after Bennett knocked Anthony Stolarz out of their series.

If Fred Andersen can stay healthy, that will make a huge difference.

Sergei Bobrovsky is in net for Florida. When he is hot, he is brick wall, but he can also be cold. He currently has a .901 save percentage with a 2.31 GAA in this postseason.

Andersen has the best stats in the playoffs with a save percentage of .937 and a GAA of 1.36.

I’m not going to delve into fancy stats or regular season comparisons. We will be posting links to anything we find interesting.

But another big difference between 2023 and this year?

The Carolina powerplay is being productive.

The Canes powerplay success rate this postseason is 28.1%

Florida’s is 20.5%.

The Carolina penalty kill finished best in the NHL in the regular season and has continued excelling in the playoffs. (93.3%, best in NHL)

Florida’s kill is at 89.5%.

Needless to say the Canes will need to continue this against the Cats.

I attended Carolina’s practice and press conference on Monday and the team seems confident.

Sebastian Aho - “To be the best you need to beat the best. We’re ready, we’re hungry, and we cannot wait.”

Fred Andersen - “It’s a team effort. We look around the room, everyone’s bought into that extra little bit that it takes this time of year. You don’t have to look far to see those extra little efforts. They come up in video all of the time. They may not show up on the highlight tapes on TV, but we see them, and we recognize each other for them. And we want to do them even more for each other.”

Source: https://www.canescountry.com/2025/5...d-to-be-hurricanes-vs-panthers-series-preview

 

[Carolina Hurricanes]

Panthers @ Hurricanes - Round 3, Game 1 - Preview and Game Thread

Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

Canes look to continue home ice success

Welcome to the Eastern Conference Finals!

The Florida Panthers are visiting the Carolina Hurricanes for game one. Start time is 8 P.M. and it will be televised by TNT and their affiliated networks.

While the Hurricanes have made the playoffs for seven straight years, every year since Rod Brind’Amour took over, they have yet to win an Eastern Conference Final game in three tries.

Most recently, in 2023, the Panthers swept the Canes in four, one-goal games. (more on that here - https://www.canescountry.com/2025/5...d-to-be-hurricanes-vs-panthers-series-preview

The Panthers topped the season series between the clubs, 2-1, but the Canes were blown out in back-to-back games in November. Spencer Martin and Yaniv Perets were in goal for Carolina.

Tonight, Frederik Andersen will be in net and he has the best stats of any other goalie in the postseason with a SV% .937 and GAA 1.36.

The Canes will be icing the following forward lines -

Svechnikov - Aho - Jarvis

Hall - Roslovic - Stankoven

Martinook - Staal - Carrier

Robinson - Kotkaniemi - Blake

The defense is in a bit of disarray with Jalen Chatfield questionable for tonight.

Alexander Nikishin filled in for Chatfield for the series clincher in Washington, but Scott Morrow was paired with Shayne Gostisbehere in yesterday’s practice and in this morning’s skate.

The defenseman says he will be ready if called upon.

Scott Morrow on potentially making his #StanleyCup Playoffs debut tonight -

"If I'm in there, I'm going to play my ass off and do whatever it takes to help the team win..." pic.twitter.com/BzTPFrYOO0

— Walt Ruff (@WaltRuff) May 20, 2025​

I would expect Florida’s lines to be the same as in recent games.

Rodrigues - Barkov - Reinhart

Verhaeghe - Bennett - Tkachuk

Luostarinen - Lundell - Marchand

Greer - Nosek - Gadjovich

Forsling - Ekblad

Jones - Mikkola

Schmidt - Kulikov

Look for Sergei Bobrovsky in net, who has previously been a “Cane Killer.” He has looked more human this postseason though.

While the Panthers are slight favorites to win the series, the Hurricanes are slight favorites to win game one. We will see.

Source: https://www.canescountry.com/2025/5...icanes-round-3-game-1-preview-and-game-thread

 

[Carolina Hurricanes]

Florida Panthers dominate Game One, beat the Hurricanes 5-2

Photo by Jaylynn Nash/Getty Images

A strong start for the Hurricanes gets away from them as the Panthers draw first blood

Whenever a team gets a decent amount of time off there’s always a question of too much rest will generate rust. For the second straight series, the Canes were coming off a long off period after wrapping up their series in five games—but this time their opponent was coming off a game just two nights prior.

In this case, rust was absolutely what the Canes showed.

The Florida Panthers took Game One of the Eastern Conference Finals 5-2 based off a first period where they were able to get into the Hurricanes’ heads, a second period that Carolina started too late, and a third period where chasing the game cost them and they chose to try and make a mark physically against Florida and it bit them.

Game Two will be Thursday Night in Raleigh at 8 PM.

The game started with so much promise for Carolina as they were lively inside a raucous Lenovo Center, and drew an early Power Play about five minutes in. With about fifteen seconds left in it, though, Anton Lundell went at Sebastian Aho after a shot, Aho responded and the referee only saw the retaliation. The resulting penalty from the official to try and cool things off resulted in a Florida Power Play, which they converted quickly via a Carter Verhaeghe shot to go up 1-0.

Just four minutes later, Aaron Ekblad converted a Jordan Staal turnover and sniped it past Freddie Andersen for a quick 2-0 lead, and from that point on the Canes were chasing play.

Carolina would give the building hope at the end of the first. Seth Jarvis put a shot on net with time winding down and put it right on Aho’s skate. Aho was able to keep his skate still long enough to where the puck redirected past Sergei Bobrovsky, and after the officials discussed it, the goal stood. Despite being outplayed the Canes went into the locker room down just 2-1.

The Panthers came out in the second ready to make amends, and just three minutes in they were able to get their two goal lead back with an A.J. Greer shot, making it 3-1.

The Canes did get back to their game after that goal, holding the Panthers fifteen game minutes from the second period to the third without a shot on net, while possessing the puck and putting shots on Bobrovsky. None went through, though, and the second ended with the Canes down 3-1.

The dagger came on another Power Play, which was initiated by Scott Morrow—playing for the injured Jalen Chatfield—shooting the puck over the glass and getting the dealy of game called. The Canes penalty kill unit was unable to hold the Panthers yet again. The score was 4-1 and and it was all but over in terms of who would win.

Former Hurricane Eetu Luostarinen scored later in the third to make it 5-1, while Jackson Blake was able to cash in on a late Power Play for the final score.

A sign of things to come though happened in the third period. The Canes had purposefully tried to show that the Panthers weren’t the only team that could get close and disturb a goalie, and several times got physical with Bobrovsky. Between that, the hits on both sides, and the general style of the Panthers eventual boil over was going to happen. Late in the third, Brad Marchand went to check Shayne Gostisbehere well after the puck left but missed. Gostisbehere would get the puck back a few seconds later and appear to shoot it directly at Marchand. Marchand wasn’t happy and charged at Gostisbehere, not even asking to initiate a fight. Marchand was tossed from the game, and the Panthers seemed to have Gostisbehere marked for the rest of the series.

The Hurricanes will just have to flush this one and start fresh on Thursday Night, something they’ve done all season. Florida now has taken home ice, but the Canes can take it back by winning the next two—and one would think the longer this series goes the more it favors Carolina due to the fact that Florida will have had zero break during the entire series. We’ll see if Rod Brind’Amour shakes things up on Thursday.

Source: https://www.canescountry.com/2025/5...ers-dominate-game-one-beat-the-hurricanes-5-2

 

[Carolina Hurricanes]

Panthers @ Hurricanes - Round 3, Game 2 - Preview and Game Thread

RALEIGH, NC - MAY 20: Brad Marchand #63 of the Florida Panthers and Shayne Gostisbehere #4 of the Carolina Hurricanes scuffle during the third period of Game One of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Lenovo Center on May 20, 2025 in Raleigh, North Carolina. | Photo by Josh Lavallee/NHLI via Getty Images

The Canes try to win their first Eastern Conference Finals game in their last 14 attempts.

The Carolina Hurricanes will be back at it tonight as they take on the Florida Panthers at the Lenovo Center for game two of the Eastern Conference Finals. Game time is 8 P.M. and the contest will be televised by TNT and their affiliated networks.

Florida took game one, 5-2 as the Canes had a hard time converting on their chances.

The good news for Carolina fans is that their team has made the Eastern Conference Finals quite often in the past few years. The bad news is that they have yet to win a game in their last 13 attempts.

Will game number 14 be any different tonight?

It is doubtful Scott Morrow will be back for the home team tonight, but there is still uncertainty whether or not Jalen Chatfield will return to the blueline. Chatfield skated with some extras this morning in what was called an optional skate.

(Apparently, it is not so doubtful)

So did Jesperi Kotkaniemi, leading to speculation he might be scratched tonight in favor of Mark Jankowski.

Of course Brind’Amour confirmed nothing in his interview this morning.

Our friend, Ryan Henkle posted the following on the “X”.

Brind'Amour on Chatfield: "He skated this morning. Haven't talked with him yet. We'll see."

— Ryan Henkel (@RyanHenkel_) May 22, 2025​

Brind'Amour also didn't commit to Jankowski playing tonight. Seems like everything will be wait and see till warmups.

— Ryan Henkel (@RyanHenkel_) May 22, 2025​

Brind'Amour says if Chatfield can't go tonight, Morrow and Nikishin are both options. Didn't commit to either. Said it's a tough spot regardless, but that those two are the team's "best options."

— Ryan Henkel (@RyanHenkel_) May 22, 2025​

We will make a guess on the lines here.

Jarvis - Aho - Svechnikov

Hall - Roslovic - Stankoven

Martinook - Staal - Carrier

Robinson - (Jankowski) - Blake

Slavin - Burns

Walker - Orlov

Gostisbehere - (??)

Of course Fred Andersen will be in net.

I doubt the Panthers will change much if anything regarding their line up.

Look for the Cats to go after Gostisbehere after he intentionally shot the puck at Marchand last game. We will see what happens regarding all of that. At least the defenseman admitted it and did not shy away from the incident.

Can the Hurricanes break through?

Some thoughts:

Is it wise to pair your rookie defenseman, no matter who the replacement is, with your worst blueliner regarding defense?

Will the team stick to their game or be sucked into a physical ordeal with the bigger Panthers?

Here is the team’s preview:

https://www.nhl.com/hurricanes/news/preview-ecf-game-2-vs-fla

Source: https://www.canescountry.com/2025/5...icanes-round-3-game-2-preview-and-game-thread

 

[Carolina Hurricanes]

Panthers 5, Hurricanes 0

RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA - MAY 22: Carolina Hurricanes fans leave after the fifth goal from the Florida Panthers during the third period in Game Two of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Lenovo Center on May 22, 2025 in Raleigh, North Carolina. | Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Canes get embarrassed on home ice

The Carolina Hurricanes lost again to the Florida Panthers, this time by a score of 5-0, in a “must win” game two of their third round matchup.

The Canes entered this contest having lost 13 straight Eastern Conference Final games. They lost number 14 on Thursday night.

This game was never close. The Panthers dominated from puck drop to final whistle.

Just 1:17 into the game, the Panthers scored off a turnover and the rout was on.

Midway through the first, the visitors made it 2-0 and a couple of minutes later, it was 3-0.

In the meantime there was very little, if any, pushback from the home team.

The Canes, ordinarily a team that generates a plethora of shots, for good or bad, had a paltry 3 shots on goal in the first period and 4 shots on goal in the second.

The Panthers scored another in the second and closed out with yet another in the third.

Brind’Amour replaced Jesperi Kotkaniemi with Mark Jankowski, though it did not seem to make a difference.

He played Scott Morrow for the injured Jalen Chatfield. Morrow did not finish with a negative plus/minus stat in this game like he did on Tuesday, and did not take a penalty.

I was told that Nikishin was still getting used to the system, although by my eye, while he made mistakes, he showed some promise in the game he played against Washington.

Chatfield skated in warm ups, but could not go so is still day-to-day. Sean Walker and Seth Jarvis both had to leave the game early due to injuries, although Jarvis did return.

Carolina’s special teams, which they have relied on all season with decent success, continue to disappoint against Florida.

They allowed goals on both Panther powerplays and went 0-3 when they had the man advantage.

After the game, there were no words of wisdom.

Svechnikov, who was credited with a team high 3 giveaways and was -3 along with a penalty which resulted in a goal, admitted to his mistakes. He said he needs to remain positive.

Brind’Amour said postgame that Svechnikov was on his own page.

One cannot help but feel sorry for local fans who paid hundreds, if not thousands of dollars to watch those two hockey games. There will be no refunds.

The Canes will have a team meeting Friday before traveling to Florida to, most likely, continue being on the wrong end of a shellacking on Saturday night.

Game Summary - https://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20242025/GS030312.HTM

Event Summary - https://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20242025/ES030312.HTM

Post game interviews - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/gq9s...fpdq8z0ndnrbo5ab8ssw4vl4&e=1&st=3dozubop&dl=0

Source: https://www.canescountry.com/2025/5/23/24435683/panthers-5-hurricanes-0

 

[Carolina Hurricanes]

Game Preview: Round 3, Game 3 at Florida

James Guillory-Imagn Images

Can the Canes make anything of this series?

As the Carolina Hurricanes head to South Florida, there are two ways to look at tonight’s game.

On one side of the coin, Carolina exceeded expectations this season. This is the franchise’s sixth conference finals appearance, good for the 13th best in league history. The Canes have more conference final appearances than 20 other teams.

With core players locked up on great deals and plenty of cap space and assets, the future is bright for the Hurricanes. The core and young players are getting valuable experience against a great team deep in the playoffs.

But that is not how sports work. Many Caniacs are on the other side of the coin because the team is here- right now- in the conference finals.

After wearing down the top team in the Eastern Conference in the second round, the Canes are now being ground into dust. The 180-degree turnaround from the last series is disappointing.

The most frustrating part of Thursday’s game was the lack of effort and urgency. Carolina looked like they were playing Florida the day after Thanksgiving rather than in front of a sellout crowd in late May during the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

From the opening puck drop, the Hurricanes were at least three strides behind the Panthers. When your best players are invisible or prefer to pass the puck using a “no-look-backhand-flip-to-nowhere-and-no-one,” it will be a long night against the defending Stanley Cup Champions.

The Caniacs in attendance and watching at home did not deserve that complete flop from the Hurricanes.

So what happens next?

“Give everything a sportin’ chance.”

That line from one of the late comedian Jerry Clower's famous bits sums it up. The Hurricanes do not have the size of the Panthers, but the team can commit to playing stronger and faster.

Carolina has to give themselves a chance tonight, and it starts with effort and urgency. This means staying relentless on the forecheck, playing smart positional hockey in the defensive zone, and keeping your cool.

The three five-on-five goals Florida scored on Thursday exploited Carolina's bad positioning and poor passing. These are fundamental parts of the game, and the Canes find themselves looking ahead to the next play before containing the opposition and making the smart exit pass.

Florida has scored on four of five power play opportunities in this series. The Hurricanes absolutely cannot afford to spend time in the box.

Do the Panthers take a breath at some point tonight? Up 2-0 in the series and back in their home barn, it may happen. The Canes must be ready to take advantage if and when that opportunity presents itself.

The biggest questions are with the lineup. The last two games have shown how important defenseman Jalen Chatfield is to this team. He is still listed as day-to-day and took warmups on Thursday. This lineup decision will be the most anticipated as game time approaches.

Seth Jarvis and Sean Walker both exited Game 2 after big hits from the Panthers, but both returned to the ice. Walker was the bigger question mark, and he will be another name to watch closer to 8:00 PM.

The decision by head coach Rod Brind’Amour to play Scott Morrow in Game 2 after his abysmal performance in the opening game of the series was questionable. Unlike some loud voices on Caniac social media, Morrow does not need to be sent out to pasture. The 22-year-old rookie defenseman should become part of the top four in the near future, but his first two playoff games against the defending champs are a tough spot.

His lack of ice time demonstrated this questionable decision. Morrow did not step onto the ice after it was 2-0 Florida, and only had 15 shifts the entire game.

Brind’Amour says this team is at its best when it is rolling all lines and pairs, so the disparity in ice time does not make much sense.

Everyone from Manteo to Manitoba knows Florida is bigger and more physical. Putting the 6’4”, 212-pound Mark Jankowski in the lineup makes sense. Was Jesperi Kotkaniemi the best choice for a scratch? There are arguments on both sides, but he needs to be considered for tonight’s lineup.

And perhaps the player who ranked 12th in the KHL this season in hits might be a good draw for the Canes.

Stay tuned to Canes Country for lineup updates as puck drop approaches.

---

Here’s how to check out the action:

• Time: 8:00 PM ET
• Location: Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise, FL
• TV: TNT, truTV, Max; SN, TVAS
• Radio: 99.9 The Fan with Mike Maniscalco, play-by-play; Tripp Tracy, color analyst.
• Line: ML: CAR +130; PL: CAR +1.5 -205

Source: https://www.canescountry.com/2025/5...lina-hurricanes-stanley-cup-playoffs-2025-nhl

 

[Carolina Hurricanes]

Panthers 6, Hurricanes 2

SUNRISE, FL - MAY 24: Players from both teams come together during the third period of Game Three of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Florida Panthers at Amerant Bank Arena on May 24, 2025 in Sunrise, Florida. | Photo by Josh Lavallee/NHLI via Getty Images

Canes allow five goals in third period and they are on the brink of elimination

The Carolina Hurricanes played a good, tight hockey game for two periods as the score was 1-1 to start the third, but then they fell apart again later in that final period to lose to the Panthers, 6-2 on Saturday night in game three of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Both Jalen Chatfield and Sean Walker sat out this game with injuries. Alexander Nikishin and Scott Morrow filled in.

Nikishin played well for the most part but was paired with Dmitri Orlov, who might have played his all-time worst game.

After falling behind 1-0, the Canes tied things up on a Logan Stankoven powerplay goal when he put back a rebound shot midway through the second.

Stankoven almost scored earlier, but Bobrovsky made a nice save to stop him.

One minute and change into the third, the Panthers scored to take the lead again and then the next thing you know, they connected for five goals and jumped ahead, 6-1.

Seth Jarvis closed out the scoring later in the third.

The Panthers outhit the Canes 60-44 and they did not drop off their intensity after taking a big lead.

Brind’Amour said after the game that Staal and Martinook cannot be their best players every game.

Team Captain, Jordan Staal has 1 goal and 1 assist these entire playoffs. Martinook is slightly better with 1 goal and 5 assists in his 13 playoff games. If you need to consistently rely on these guys to win you a game, you probably are in bad shape.

I am not going to get into any analysis or talk about the team being “too soft” yet until after the season is over, but many in the mainstream media are jumping on this team, hard.

Post game reports and interviews are next.

Game Summary - https://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20242025/GS030313.HTM

Event Summary - https://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20242025/ES030313.HTM

Team Recap - https://www.nhl.com/hurricanes/news/recap-canes-crumble-late-drop-game-3

Interviews - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/duyo...ike&subfolder_nav_tracking=1&st=hu3jafym&dl=0

The Canes will not practice Sunday but will have some media availability.

Source: https://www.canescountry.com/2025/5/25/24436772/panthers-6-hurricanes-2

 

[Carolina Hurricanes]

Game Preview: Round 3, Game 4 at Florida

Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The Canes are facing elimination.

With five minutes left in the second period of Game 3, the Carolina Hurricanes resembled the team from the first two rounds.

The second power play unit moved the puck effectively, found room below the dots, and drew the Florida defenders out just enough to slip two Canes by to clean up the rebound off a shot from the point.

The Hurricanes won the period and had some life with the score tied at one.

Florida responded just a minute and a half into the third, but Carolina was still in it.

Until they weren’t.

The Panthers scored four goals in four minutes to earn another blowout victory, putting the Hurricanes on the brink of elimination.

It is hard to describe how quickly the game was lost on Saturday. The swift and sudden collapse resembled a Sunday night beer league game between the best and worst teams.

Head coach Rod Brind’Amour was very direct in his assessment of the effort in Game 3:

The four rookies in the lineup can’t be some of your better players. Like, that can’t happen. So there’s a couple guys in there that I don’t think came to play the way they needed to in this type of time of year... It can’t be Jordan Staal and Martinook being our best players like that. That can’t always be that way. And there they are every night. So we needed more out of some guys.

In Game 3, Andrei Svenchnikov did not register a shot, and Seth Jarvis’s lone shot came on his goal to make it 6-2.

Dmitry Orlov was put in a tough spot playing his off-side, but his positioning and giveaways were completely unacceptable.

And the lack of response by the Hurricanes after the cheap shots on Svechnikov and Sebastian Aho was embarrassing. If the Canes were playing for pride on Saturday, it was given away during the third period.

There is little more to say about the game plan or expectations for Game 4. Climbing out of a 3-0 deficit in the Stanley Cup Playoffs is next to impossible anyway, but after Carolina was beaten down in the first three games, it is a reasonable goal to just not lose by more than three.

Jalen Chatfield and Sean Walker did not participate in morning skates, so expect the same lineup from Carolina. There is no word on the starting goaltender yet.

Florida will be without Sam Reinhard and AJ Greer, and likely without Niko Mikkola.

In this moment, the Canes are down and nearly out. It is easy to lose perspective after head-scratching and head-spinning games, but the Panthers deserve a lot of credit.

And the Hurricanes made it this far, and 28 other clubs cannot say the same.

---

Here’s how to check out the action:

• Time: 8:00 PM ET
• Location: Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise, FL
• TV: TNT, truTV, Max; SN, TVAS
• Radio: 99.9 The Fan with Mike Maniscalco, play-by-play; Tripp Tracy, color analyst.
• Line: ML: CAR +154; PL: CAR +1.5 -162

Source: https://www.canescountry.com/2025/5...-carolina-hurricanes-nhl-stanley-cup-playoffs

 

[Carolina Hurricanes]

Hurricanes 3, Panthers 0

SUNRISE, FLORIDA - MAY 26: Logan Stankoven #22 of the Carolina Hurricanes shoots the puck to score a goal on Sergei Bobrovsky #72 of the Florida Panthers during the second period in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amerant Bank Arena on May 26, 2025 in Sunrise, Florida. | Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Canes send series back to Raleigh with win

Fat Lady?

I didn’t hear no Fat Lady and neither did the Carolina Hurricanes.

The Hurricanes were finally able to get to their game and got a shut out performance from Fred Andersen in goal as they defeated the Florida Panthers, 3-0 on Monday night at Sunrise, Florida.

After a tight and scoreless first period, the Canes started to control play by not allowing a shot-on-goal for about 14 minutes.

Midway through the second period, highly touted rookie Alexander Nikishin, flicked a perfect pass to Logan Stankoven who was streaking into the Florida zone.

Stankoven made no mistake, roofing his shot over Sergei Bobrovsky to make it 1-0, for the first lead of the series for Carolina.

It was Stankoven’s 5th goal of the playoffs.

The Canes outshot Florida 12-5 in that second period.

The Panthers managed to ramp up some pressure of their own in the third but the Carolina defense battled them for every inch of ice, especially Jaccob Slavin who played 28 minutes.

Nikishin played 18:53 and was credited with 5 hits, tied for the team lead with Jarvis who also had 5.

The Canes added two empty net goals, one by Aho and one by Staal to close it out.

Andersen made 20 saves on the 20 shots he faced for the shutout.

Both teams will return to Raleigh for game five and I would expect a more spirited game by Florida but the home team will have some momentum and anything can happen.

Game Summary - https://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20242025/GS030314.HTM

Event Summary - https://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20242025/ES030314.HTM

Interviews - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/xv3c...cixdu9wxcokqz2i7zpo4jolg&e=1&st=f7x9a3jv&dl=0

Team’s Recap - https://www.nhl.com/hurricanes/news/recap-canes-shut-down-cats-in-game-4

Source: https://www.canescountry.com/2025/5/27/24437744/hurricanes-3-panthers-0

 

[Carolina Hurricanes]

Panthers @ Hurricanes - Round 3, Game 5 - Preview and Game Thread

SUNRISE, FL - MAY 26: Goaltender Frederik Andersen #31 of the Carolina Hurricanes defends the net as players from both teams battle for a loose puck during the first period of Game Four of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Florida Panthers at Amerant Bank Arena on May 26, 2025 in Sunrise, Florida. | Photo by Josh Lavallee/NHLI via Getty Images

Can Carolina win two in a row against the Champs?

The Carolina Hurricanes will try to defend home ice as they take on the Florida Panthers tonight at the Lenovo Center.

Game time is 8 P.M. and the contest will be televised by TNT and their related networks.

If the Canes lose one more game, their season is over. They are behind, 3-1 in this best-of-seven series but they are coming off an impressive win in their last game.

Will they be able to have a repeat performance?

Look for Fred Andersen to be back in net for the home team.

The two injured defensemen, Sean Walker and Jalen Chatfield, did not skate at the morning skate so they look to be out again tonight.

Ryan posted the lines as follows:

Hurricanes Game 5 morning skate lines:

Svechnikov-Aho-Jarvis
Hall-Kotkaniemi-Blake
Martinook-Staal-Stankoven
Carrier-Jankowski-Robinson
Roslovic-Jost

Slavin-Burns
Nikishin-Orlov
Gostisbehere-Morrow
Smith

Andersen
Kochetkov
Martin

*Walker, Chatfield absent

— Ryan Henkel (@RyanHenkel_) May 28, 2025​

The previously injured Cats were all at the morning skate for Florida. We will see if they play tonight.

Sam Reinhart, Niko Mikkola and A.J. Greer are all on the ice for the Panthers optional morning skate at Lenovo Center. They all did not play in Game 4 with injuries. Reinhart has missed the past two games.

— Dan Rosen (@drosennhl) May 28, 2025​

It is “do or die” for Carolina again.

Andrei Svechnikov as the #Canes go into another "do-or-die" situation -

“It’s the same feeling as last game. We cannot make any more mistakes and have to play the right way… Only good vibes and stay positive.” pic.twitter.com/XSVjvXGIzq

— Walt Ruff (@WaltRuff) May 28, 2025​

Good luck boys.

Source: https://www.canescountry.com/2025/5...icanes-round-3-game-5-preview-and-game-thread

 

[Carolina Hurricanes]

Panthers 5, Hurricanes 3

RALEIGH, NC - MAY 28: Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky #72 of the Florida Panthers shakes hands with Sebastian Aho #20 of the Carolina Hurricanes after the Florida Panthers defeat the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Lenovo Center on May 28, 2025 in Raleigh, North Carolina. | Photo by Josh Lavallee/NHLI via Getty Images

Panthers end Carolina’s season with come-from-behind victory.

The Carolina Hurricanes jumped out to an early 2-0 lead off the sharp-shooting of Sebastian Aho, but the Panthers came roaring back with a surge in the second period and eventually took over the game with a 5-3 win to close out the series.

It is the third straight season this team has made it to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Seven minutes into the second, the Panthers took advantage of a penalty by Jesperi Kotkaniemi and scored just 16 seconds into the ensuing powerplay, then scored again 30 seconds after that to tie the score and take the momentum.

The visitors took a 3-2 lead four minutes after that, but the Hurricanes did not give up.

Seth Jarvis took a nice pass from Andrei Svechnikov and scored a pretty goal to make it, 3-3. But Florida was not done.

Captain, Sasha Barkov made a nice move and play to get the puck to an open Carter Verhaeghe, who made no mistake for the game-winner.

Sam Bennett scored into an empty net to close things out.

At least the Hurricanes went down swinging. It seemed likely that they would be swept, without a whimper when they went down, 3-0, but that did not happen.

They were credited with 48 hits in this game and created several chances.

Game Summary - https://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20242025/GS030315.HTM

Event Summary - https://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20242025/ES030315.HTM

Interviews - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/be1i...xierhmattd42342xh46scnfc&e=1&st=mmun4o65&dl=0

There will be plenty of time to dissect and analyze what went wrong this season and what can be done to improve the team.

Canes Country will be active with a lot of discussion. After following up the end of season interviews, we will provide an opportunity for readers to grade each player, the coaching staff, and front office.

Of course we will also be reporting on each signing for the team and will have a draft preview and recap.

The season really never ends when it comes to opinions.

I want to thank all of our readers, commenting members, and our staff for another successful season here on the site.

Source: https://www.canescountry.com/2025/5/29/24439166/panthers-5-hurricanes-3

 

[Carolina Hurricanes]

Hurricanes Hold End of Season Interviews

Photo by Katherine Gawlik/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Interesting comments by some players

The Carolina Hurricanes held their end of season interviews with the players on Friday. Players normally don’t reveal anything too negative or controversial during these but take a listen and see for yourself.

It seems Aho is hinting about putting that cap space to good use during the offseason.

The Canes apparently have not been in contact with Orlov’s agent.

The links to each interview are below.

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/7o7l...9m56nb38o2kul5mghh5kp6lg&e=1&st=aonwf67m&dl=0

We will have a lot of thoughts and analysis coming up soon. I am waiting for interviews with the coach, Tulsky, and hopefully Dundon.

Source: https://www.canescountry.com/2025/5/30/24440190/hurricanes-hold-end-of-season-interviews

 

[Carolina Hurricanes]

Canes Country Pick’em, Round Four

Photo by Jaylynn Nash/Getty Images

Final picks are needed now

Get those final round picks in before 8 P.M. Wednesday night.

Once again, the points are earned as follows:

R1: one point for the correct winner, five bonus points for the correct winner and length (potential for 48 points)

R2: two points, five bonus points (potential for 28 points)

R3: four points, five bonus points (potential for 18 points)

SCF: eight points, five bonus points (potential for 13 points)

Select Florida or Edmonton to win in how many games.

I went through my locker of old memorabilia and found this puck to give for first place. I will send this to the winner if they wish.

(2006 Stanley Cup Final official game puck)

That was a good year to be a Carolina Hurricanes fan!

(Sorry I had technical difficulties with the download)

The potential of 13 points can be earned for this round, so that means 23 people still have a chance to win.

Here are the results so far. Good luck!

DavioParker 40

Samboliniboygenie 39

Canes-n-Bacon 37

McAteer 36

D-ball65 33

Holiday_Canes 33

bambamcanefan 32

JBihlStaal11 32

Madbaximus 32

Caniac1997 31

Ice_pack 31

CanesENC 30

CaniacJeffy14 30

CaniacK9 30

Ecupirate07 30

HootiePepper 30

JaffMan 29

Ronnie Franchise 29

Take-Warning! 29

TarryT22 29

Bigfist 28

Markmcnc 28

HurricaneWhaler 26

reggie101 26

Cavedwellers127 25

formersaint 25

SCarolinaCanesFan 25

UsedPuckBag 25

CanesHockeyFan 24

Illiniman75 24

LGCanes321 24

naykm 24

Foba_Bett 23

eburges1 22

Justafansorry 22

HurricaneSirPurr13 21

The Night King 21

The Tick 21

campbesc 20

Panthers59 20

NoVACanes 20

dlee27701 19

RoxboroCaniac 19

Teewig 17

Raleigh Icecap 16

b.axeman 14

Michael Cullen 13

Lostripper 13

packpowerfan 13

M.Evans19 12

mburgess00 12

trailerparkromeo 12

CoastalCane 11

Shoresbridge 11

prplmnkydw 10

ptblespaul 10

Arrowman007 8

Goldy Shuffle 6

Wolfpack_Caniac 4

NecasCanes4Ever 4

packpowerfan 0

Source: https://www.canescountry.com/2025/5/31/24440786/canes-country-pickem-round-four

 

[Carolina Hurricanes]

End of Season Press Conference - Eric Tulsky and Rod Brind’Amour

RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 30: Carolina Hurricanes General Manager Eric Tulsky poses with fans prior to the first period of the game against the New York Islanders at Lenovo Center on March 30, 2025 in Raleigh, North Carolina. | Photo by Jaylynn Nash/Getty Images

The coach and general manager answer some questions about the season.

The Carolina Hurricanes held their end of season press conference for the media on Tuesday. Eric Tulsky and Rod Brind’Amour answered some questions.

All in all, they were both very pleased with the season, considering the team finished in the final four of the league.

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/qchv...3&rlkey=065mm9rqd4zf7l27ytu8eb471&st=wm4bfoy6

(a synopsis)

While Brind’Amour might have felt (at one time) like they lost too many quality players to make the playoffs last offseason, Tulsky felt confident that they were bringing in pieces that would fit in and he felt comfortable with the team they built.

Seth Jarvis mentioned his shoulder situation during his exit interview and Tulsky was asked about it. Eric said that was a personal decision, not organizational and if Jarvis wants to keep rehabbing it, then so be it. He had a very good season regardless.

When asked for specifics as to how they wished to improve the team, Tulsky mentioned that they wanted to improve on defense, on forechecking, and scoring which are all major components of the team’s success.

“There is always room for improvement until we have the 20 best players in the league”.

They will spend to the cap again if the right pieces are available.

Tulsky said they have talked with Orlov’s and Burns’ agents. They will see how it goes.

There are players with minor issues but there are no scheduled surgeries for anyone that Tulsky is aware of.

Brind’Amour was asked about skipping the handshake line due to Maurice’s request. After some thought he said he will continue to go through that because it is important to him to show respect in that way to the players.

Brind’Amour is always excited about the offseason and looks forward to see what the front office can do. “There is tons of opportunity”.

Tulsky was asked about the prospect pool but would not elaborate about who might make the team next season. They would have to see how Nadeau does in training camp.

Regarding the new affiliation with the team in Greensboro, they will have the opportunity to have a few prospects play there. Ownership will hire the coaching staff.

They were asked if the team would like to get a 40 goal scorer, or an elite scorer. The answer was yes, of course. They will continue to try to improve the team, even if they already had elite scoring.

I asked Eric if he took into consideration a player’s size during their evaluation. He replied that of course they do, but they look for players who can pressure and make things hard for you. They are not necessarily looking at size, they are looking at how effective a player is at applying pressure. But size can be a component of that.

Brind’Amour said he loves Burns. Not only as a player, but off the ice as well. He has great work ethic and is a good person. The penalty kill was tops in the NHL, and he was a big part of that.

“I can’t say enough good things about him”.

“Where it goes, because it is a business and all that, we will see but I would love to have him back.”

Brind’Amour was asked to evaluate himself for the season. He replied that after sitting back and looking at it, this was one of the best seasons the team has had in 20 years.

“With everything that was going on, (the Rantanen thing) we went into the playoffs right in stride, I don’t think we could have played much better the first two rounds. “

“Of course I look at myself critically, but I think we did, our staff, I cannot say enough good things about them, I think they all did a great job.”

Tulsky said that the staff works very hard and they have done an incredible job. “Over the last five years, no team has earned as many points as we have”. He loves that “we are where we are”.

As a coach, Brind’Amour would still love to win a Cup, especially for the fans.

Tulsky was asked to grade himself and his reply was that there is always room for improvement.

After the press conference there was a little scrum of the media, sharing thoughts.

Someone mentioned that if they bring back Burns, they are not trying to make the team as good as it could possibly be. Another person was hoping they would try to bring in Dylan Larkin. The Canes certainly have the assets to do so, if possible.

We will start grading the players and coaching staff, one at a time, later this week.

Source: https://www.canescountry.com/2025/6...ess-conference-eric-tulsky-and-rod-brindamour