How the Panthers reached their first Stanley Cup Final since ’96

Hurricanes’ efforts fall short

Florida first struck 41 seconds into the contest when Anthony Duclair finished an odd-man rush by pouncing on a loose puck for the quick 1-0 lead.

Then midway through the frame, Tkachuk scored on the power play, beating Fredirk Andresen from the slot.

But despite losing Stefan Noesen due to an upper-body injury sustained in the first period, Jacob Slavin when Sam Bennett bodied him and Martin Necas after a shot from teammate Brett Burnes hit him in the leg, the Hurricanes didn’t go away.

They finally snapped Sergei Bobrovsky’s shutout streak at 133 minutes and 11 seconds when Paul Stastny beat the goaltender to the rebound.

Then, they tied the score when Teuvo Teravainen picked up the loose change just 2:51 into the second period.

The Panthers restored their advantage when Ryan Lomberg stripped Jesperi Kotkaniemi of the puck and bookended a beautiful tic-tac-toe play with Collin White and Eric Stall.

Still, Carolina responded as a Jesper Fast tally with 3:43 remaining looked to be the one that forced a third overtime game between these two teams until Tkachuk showed he had other ideas.

As a result, Carolina was swept out of the playoffs despite outshooting Florida 122-107, 62-49 in high-danger-chances.

“That’s the unfortunate part of this, (people are) going to look back, and everyone’s going to say, ‘You got swept,'” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “That’s not what happened. I watched the game. I’m there. I’m cutting the game (film). We’re in the game. We didn’t lose four games. We got beat, but we were right there, and this could have gone the other way. It could have been four games the other way.”

The Hurricanes’ loss can be attributed to various factors, including Sergei Bobrovsky’s strong performance in goal for the Panthers, who made 36 saves on 39 shots, recording a sensational .966 save percentage in the series.

Looking ahead, the Hurricanes will need to address their need for elite finishers, especially with the uncertainty surrounding Max Pacioretty’s future as an unrestricted free agent. However, in reflecting on the series, the focus is on the accomplishments and resilience of the team, as they were proud of their efforts and how they battled through adversity.

“To come in and out-chance a team for four games without those guys, and then lose Slavin, and continue to forge ahead, I’m super proud of this group,” Brind’Amour said. “It’s tough we’re not playing, but I can’t ask for more than what we got,”