After two lopsided home losses in the Eastern Conference Final, the Carolina Hurricanes need to figure out what’s ailing them, and fast, as the series shifts to Florida.

The defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers are rolling. The Carolina Hurricanes are reeling. Sam Bennett scored one of his two goals in Florida's three-goal first period, Sergei Bobrovsky made 17 saves and the Panthers beat the Hurricanes 5-0 on Thursday night to take a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference final.

The Florida Panthers battled in a seven-game series with the Toronto Maple Leafs in the second round, but its been shear dominance so far against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Carter Verhaeghe signed an eight-year extension after leading Florida with 11 goals in the 2024 postseason and 72 points in the regular season, following up that campaign with his fourth consecutive 20-goal season in 2024-25. Verhaeghe logged eight points (4-4-8) through two rounds in the 2025 postseason.

Jordan Staal calls out Hurricanes after a 5–0 blowout loss to the Panthers as Carolina falls behind 0–2 in the Eastern Conference Final.

The Panthers flat-out dominated the Hurricanes on Thursday, cruising to a 5-0 win to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-7 series with a spot in a third consecutive Stanley Cup Final at stake.

The Carolina Hurricanes have not won an Eastern Conference final game in their last 13 tries. Can they snap that streak on Thursday night when they host the Florida Panthers for Game 2 at the Lenovo Center?