The Florida Panthers will now look to win their second ever Stanley Cup. – Bruce Bennett/Getty Images
Florida has yet again laid claim to being a hockey state after the Florida Panthers clinched their third consecutive Stanley Cup Final appearance following a 5-3 win over the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final on Wednesday.
The Panthers got off to an inauspicious start, quickly finding themselves down 2-0 after the first period.
Advertisement
Advertisement
The Hurricanes, who were coming off a huge Game 4 victory that got the proverbial monkey of losing 15 straight ECF games off their back, appeared to be storming to a second consecutive win to get back into the series – but the defending Cup champions had other plans.
Florida responded with three second period goals to suck the life out of the Lenovo Center in Raleigh, North Carolina.
With the Panthers riding the momentum with 20 minutes to go, Carolina’s Seth Jarvis beat Florida goalie Sergei Bobrovsky to tie the game at 3-3 with 11:30 left.
About four minutes later, the Panthers’ Carter Verhaeghe got a clean feed across the crease from team captain Aleksander Barkov and found the back of the net against Canes goalie Frederik Andersen.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Sam Bennett would later add an empty-net goal to hammer down the victory and put Florida in prime position to achieve potential dynasty status.
Verhaeghe, who scored his 12th career postseason game-winning goal, told the TNT Sports broadcast that the team is “pulling the rope together.”
“It’s a team effort every night … It’s just sticking to our system,” Verhaeghe added.
The Panthers pose with the Prince of Wales Trophy after defeating the Carolina Hurricanes 5-3 in Game Five of the Eastern Conference Final. – Bruce Bennett/Getty Images North America/Getty Images
After the game, the Panthers were presented with the Prince of Wales trophy, awarded to the Eastern Conference champions.
With the trophy curse in mind, Florida players did not touch it while posing for pictures. It is a common superstition amongst fans, players and coaches that touching the trophy can jinx the team from winning the Cup.
Advertisement
Advertisement
In 2023, after the Panthers clinched their first Cup appearance since 1996, players touched the trophy and went on to lose to the Vegas Golden Knights. However, last year, the players learned from the experience and went on to beat the Edmonton Oilers to win their first Stanley Cup in franchise history.
The Panthers will play the winner of the Western Conference Final between the Oilers and Dallas Stars. Edmonton leads the series 3-1 with Game 5 scheduled for Thursday at the American Airlines Center.
For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
