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Sunrise, FL - The Florida Panthers opened the Eastern Conference Final with a commanding 5-2 road victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday night.
Florida struck fast, with Carter Verhaeghe and Aaron Ekblad scoring within the first period to give the Panthers a 2-0 edge.
Carolina briefly responded when Sebastian Aho redirected a puck off his skate to trim the lead to 2-1 before intermission.
But that was as close as it would get.
Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky delivered another clutch performance, stopping 31 shots, including a crucial stretch where Florida went over 15 minutes without recording a shot on goal.
Despite the lull in offensive pressure, Florida extended its lead when A.J. Greer converted a clean 2-on-1 opportunity in the second.
Sam Bennett and Eetu Luostarinen added third-period goals, both on the power play, exposing cracks in what had been the NHL’s best postseason penalty kill.
Carolina goalie Frederik Andersen, who had been stellar throughout the playoffs, struggled as Florida capitalized on defensive breakdowns and screens, including one from Brad Marchand that led to Bennett’s goal.
Marchand later received a game misconduct following a fight with Shayne Gostisbehere.
Jackson Blake scored a late goal for Carolina, but it wasn’t enough to reverse the momentum.
The loss continues a troubling trend for the Hurricanes, who have now dropped 13 consecutive games in the conference finals dating back to 2009.
Game 2 will be played Thursday night in Carolina as the Hurricanes look to even the series.