The Florida Panthers picked up a big 5-0 win over the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 2. The Panthers completely dominated the Hurricanes in this one, and this was especially the case in the first period. 

Gustav Forsling, Matthew Tkachuk, and Sam Bennett each had goals in the first period to give the Panthers a 3-0 lead. The Panthers’ defense also shut down the Hurricanes’ offense incredibly well, limiting Carolina to just three shots in the first period and four in the second.

The Panthers’ incredible all-around team performance was certainly recognized by Tkachuk, as he had plenty of praise for the club following the contest. 

“Yeah, when you look at it, you go from a Game 7 into a Game 1, those are two pretty high-intense [games]… All of them are high-intense, but those are all as riled up as you’re going to get. It might have been natural for us to take a little to get going tonight, and it was the exact opposite,” Tkachuk said. “It was an unreal start from us. The goals aside, the way we played in the first period was as good as it gets. This was just a hell of a road trip.”

It is hard to disagree with Tkachuk’s take here, as the Panthers had an incredible Game 2 in all areas. With this win, they now have a 2-0 lead in the series and home-ice advantage for Games 3 and 4. 

With his strong performance in Game 2 against the Hurricanes, Tkachuk now has four goals, 12 points, and a plus-3 rating in 14 contests this post-season. It will be interesting to see if he can build on these numbers in Game 3 with another big night from here.

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