The Florida Panthers won Game 1 of the 2025 Eastern Conference Finals on Tuesday night. Goalie Sergei Bobrovsky played a good game, stopping 31 of the 33 shots he faced in the contest. However, he dealt with more than some shots on goal. The Hurricanes also got up close and physical during this first contest of the East Final.

One particular incident caught a ton of attention on social media. Hurricanes forward Andrei Svechnikov appeared to take a run at Bobrovsky on Tuesday night. He collided with Bobrovsky's head after the Panthers goalie made a save. And it did not appear as if the Hurricanes forward made an attempt to avoid the collision.

Thankfully, Bobrovsky wasn't hurt, and he remained in the game. Following Game 1, the Panthers goalie was asked about his thoughts on the matter. Bobrovsky was not angry with the move from Svechnikov. He chalked it up to an attempt to throw him off his game.

“It's okay. It's the playoffs. They try to get under the skin. I just focus on my things and try not to think about that,” Bobrovsky said, via ESPN's Greg Wyshynski.

Panthers, Sergei Bobrovsky earn 1-0 series lead over Hurricanes

Florida Panthers forward Aleksander Barkov (16) and goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (72) celebrate winning game seven of the second round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs over the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena.
© John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

The Hurricanes pride themselves on applying pressure on the opposing team. They especially pride themselves on doing this in their own building in front of their home fans. The Panthers knew what was coming for them, and they knew what they needed to do to claim victory.

“We wanted to be ready for this game, we know how hard they play in this building. We wanted to be ready for this game. I think we got rewarded there early on. It was a good start by us. Overall, it was a good game,” Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov said, via Panthers content manager Jameson Olive.

The Panthers are seven wins away from their second consecutive Stanley Cup. They have everything in front of them after taking Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. But this series is far from over. They will need to turn in a similar performance in Game 2 against the Hurricanes when the teams return to the ice on Thursday.