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For the third year in a row, the Florida Panthers will play for hockey immortality. Paul Maurice's group came from behind in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final, beating the Carolina Hurricanes 5-3 and once again giving themselves a chance to capture the Stanley Cup.
“It has been life altering coming to the rink and working with these men,” Maurice said afterwards, per team reporter Katie Engleson.
Maurice made headlines for the words he exchanged with Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind'Amour, which he explained after the victory.
Still, it's been a dominant couple of years for this Florida team; they've lost just one playoff series since 2023, and that was against the Vegas Golden Knights in the Finals two seasons ago.
The celebration seemed a bit muted afterwards — especially compared to the 2023 East Final, when Matthew Tkachuk scored the series winner in Game 4 in the waning seconds. Maurice admitted that the team now knows what it takes to win, and it's all business this time around.
“The bigger picture has changed maybe a little bit for our team,” the bench boss explained, per NHL.com's Amalie Benjamin. “The first time, the fight to get to the Final, it’s just such a big deal. And then you do it a couple of times, you understand that you’re three-quarters of the way through and there’s lots more than has to happen.”
“It was different than a few years ago,” echoed Tkachuk. “I remember a few years ago, it felt like such an accomplishment from where we were at one point. I know we talked about it last year, it’s part of the journey. Same way with this year. It’s all business and we’ve got a bigger goal in mind.”
Panthers will play Oilers or Stars in Cup Final
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Despite trailing 2-0 at the end of the first period, the Panthers found a way, scoring three times in the middle frame and twice in the third period — highlighted by a Carter Verhaeghe series winner with eight minutes left.
They'll now be off for at least a week as they await the winner of the Western Conference Final between the Dallas Stars and Edmonton Oilers. The Oilers lead the series 3-1 and can book their ticket to the championship series for the second straight year as soon as Thursday night in Texas.
If that happens, the Stanley Cup Final will begin on Wednesday, June 4. If the Stars are able to extend the series to at least a Game 6 back in Alberta, the Finals will begin on Saturday, June 7.
There's a strong possibility that the Panthers and Oilers are headed for a rematch, which would be a salivating prospect for hockey fans. Florida beat Edmonton last year in a thrilling Game 7, capping off one of the most exciting Finals in recent memory.
The last time two teams met in consecutive seasons was way back in 2008-09, when the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins each won a Stanley Cup — the Wings in 2008 and Pens in 2009.
Either way, the Panthers know what's at stake — and they'll have a couple days of rest and relaxation before they try to win back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2025. If that happens, it would be almost impossible to not call this iteration of the franchise a dynasty.
