Throughout the first two rounds, the Carolina hurricanes looked just as dominant as anyone, only needed 10 games to send out the New Jersey Devils and Washington Capitals.
The Eastern Conference Finals were a different story.
Carolina met the Florida Panthers. He shows everyone that he is serious about defending the 2024 Stanley Cup title. Florida won all three games with a total score of 16-4.
Can the cane can pull off the historic comeback from 3-0, or will the Panthers head for the third consecutive Stanley Cup final?
Here are the matchup notes heading into Monday’s Game 4 on ESPN Research and bets from ESPN BET:
Game 3 Details: Summary | Results
Matchup Notes
Florida Panthers’ Carolina Hurricane
Game 4 | 8pm ET | TNT
The Panthers, who are rising 3-0 in the series, are -5000 to win, and the Hurricane is +1500 to win a series per ESPN bet. These numbers have been adjusted from the Florida-700 and Carolina +425 before Game 3. Florida is also a favorite to win the Cup at -110, while Sergei Bobrovsky leads the +200 Contos Mystrophy candidate.
With six goals in Game 3, Florida scored at least five goals in four consecutive games, dating Game 7 of the Toronto Maple Leafs vs. the second round. This is the fourth example of teams over the past 30 years having scored five or more goals in four consecutive postseason games, participating in the 1995 Detroit Red Wings, the 2021 Colorado Avalanche and the 2024 Avalanche.
Editor’s Pick
2 Related
Alexander Barkov has two of the five goals of the Panthers’ five third-term, adding an assist in victory. His 20th career multi-point playoff game, breaking a tie with Carter Bell Haege, the most teammate in Panthers postseason history.
Also, two goals in the victory were defensive man NicoMiccola, who spent just three goals in the 61 career playoff games that entered Saturday. Miccola’s efforts were the fourth multi-goal playoff game by the Panthers history defensive man.
Evan Rodrigues has two assists in Game 3, becoming the sixth player in NHL history, and registered multiple assists in each of the first three games of the Conference Finals/Stanley Cup semifinal series (first since Al Macinnis in 1986).
The Hurricane extended the record of most consecutive losses in the round before the Stanley Cup final (conference final or semifinal) in the history of the Stanley Cup playoffs, losing a conference final round game with 15 straights. The Carolina’s final victory in the final round game of the conference was on June 1, 2006 (who beat Buffalo 4-2 in Game 7 of the 2006 Eastern Conference Finals).
Logan Stankoven finished with goals and assists, becoming the third rookie in the Whalers/Hurricane Stanley Cup playoffs with four or more goals in 2002, joining Eric Cole in 2002 and Warren Forgere in 2019.
The Carolina must return from the 3-0 series deficit. Only four teams in the Stanley Cup playoff history achieved in seven best series. Los Angeles Kings Over San Jose Sark (2014 Conference Quarter Final), Philadelphia Flyers Boston Bruin (2010 Conference Semi-finals), Wings (1942 Stanley Cup Final).
Scoring Leader
GP: 15 | G: 6 | A: 9
GP: 12 | G: 5 | A: 8
