What - Game 5 (1-3)
When - 8 p.m., Wednesday, May 28
Where - Lenovo Center; Raleigh, NC
How to Watch - TNT, truTV, MAX, Sportsnet, CBC, TVAS
The Carolina Hurricanes have staved off elimination once, defeating the Florida Panthers 3-0 in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Florida in Sunrise, but they're going to have to do it all again tonight in Raleigh, as the team is basically in the same exact position with their backs against the wall.
"The message doesn't really change," said Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour. "You try to win every game. We know though that the margin for error, I think that's the difference in this series, where you just can't make that turnover. You're trying to make plays, I get it, but it's just having that patience and understanding of when it's there and when it's not there. Because if you don't, you see what happens, it's down your throat. I thought we did a better job of that the other night."
The Canes have a tall task in front of them, but there's a bit more belief in the room now after managing to win that first game.
The margin for error is still razor thin, but any hope of a comeback has to start somewhere.
“I think it’s huge when you can get that first win," said Logan Stankoven, who had the game-winning goal in Game 4. "Obviously a little bit of weight off of your shoulders. Obviously we still have a long way to go, but I think it’s something to build on. Our game, how we played, that’s the perfect recipe. Now we need to reciprocate it and do it again. We just have to come prepared and focused exactly like we did last game.”
While there'll be no roster changes for Carolina, Florida will be getting some reinforcements with Sam Reinhart, Niko Mikkola and A.J. Greer all slated to return.
Streaks
- Sebastian Aho (1g, 1a), Brent Burns (2a), Seth Jarvis (1g, 1a) and Logan Stankoven (2g, 1a) have points in back-to-back games.
Milestone Watch
- None
Game Notes
- This is the second postseason meeting between the two franchises, having also played in the 2023 Eastern Conference Final. Florida won that series 4-0.
- There's a lot of familiar faces on both sides as Florida has former Canes Gustav Forsling, Eetu Luostarinen, Paul Maurice and Tuomo Ruutu. Carolina has former Panthers Riley Stillman and Florida-born Shayne Gostisbehere.
- The Hurricanes have appeared in the conference final four times since winning the Cup in 2006 (2009, 2019, 2023, 2025). They are 1-15 in those appearances.
Key Matchups
Projected Starting Goalies
- Frederik Andersen: 8-4; 0.914 Sv%; 1.84 GAA
- Sergei Bobrovsky: 11-5; 0.914 Sv%; 2.05 GAA
Leading Scorers
- Goals - Andrei Svechnikov (8) / Sam Bennett (9)
- Points - Seth Jarvis (14) / Aleksander Barkov (15)
Power Play
- Carolina - 26.1% (12/46)
- Florida - 23.1% (12/52)
Penalty Kill
- Carolina - 86% (37/43)
- Florida - 86.5% (45/52)
Hurricanes Projected Lineup
Andrei Svechnikov - Sebastian Aho - Seth Jarvis
Taylor Hall - Jesperi Kotkaniemi - Jackson Blake
Jordan Martinook - Jordan Staal - Logan Stankoven
William Carrier - Mark Jankowski - Eric Robinson
Jaccob Slavin - Brent Burn
Alexander Nikishin - Dmitry Orlov
Shayne Gostisbehere - Scott Morrow
Frederik Andersen
Pyotr Kochetkov
Injuries and Scratches: Tyson Jost, Jack Roslovic, Juha Jaaska, Riley Stillman, Ty Smith, Spencer Martin, Sean Walker (undisclosed), Jalen Chatfield (undisclosed), Jesper Fast (neck)
Panthers Projected Lineup
Evan Rodrigues - Aleksander Barkov - Sam Reinhart
Carter Verhaeghe - Sam Bennett - Matthew Tkachuk
Eetu Luostarinen - Anton Lundell - Brad Marchand
A.J. Greer - Tomas Nosek - Jonah Gadjovich
Gustav Forsling - Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola - Seth Jones
Nate Schmidt - Dmitry Kulikov
Sergei Bobrovsky
Vitek Vanecek
Injuries and Scratches: , Evan Cormier, Jaycob Megna, Mackie Samoskevich, Nico Sturm, Jesper Boqvist, Uvis Balinskis
Be sure to check out the Carolina Hurricanes 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs Hub for all postseason stories!
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