Biggest Storylines to Watch in Hurricanes, Panthers Series

There are several major storylines to watch for as the Carolina Hurricanes and Florida Panthers begin the Eastern Conference Finals.

Jan 2, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers center Carter Verhaeghe (23) shoots the puck against the Carolina Hurricanes during the third period at Amerant Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rich Storry-Imagn Images / Rich Storry-Imagn Images

The Eastern Conference Finals are underway, as the defending champion Florida Panthers take on the Carolina Hurricanes. These two powerhouse squads go toe-to-toe to decide who will represent the East in the Stanley Cup Finals for the second time in the past three seasons. Let's explore what to watch for as the first conference finals series gets underway.

1. Andersen vs. Bobrovsky

The biggest storyline in this series is the goaltending matchup, which is shaping up to be spectacular. Hurricanes starter Frederik Andersen is having the playoff run of his career, leading all goalies in the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a 1.36 goals-against average and .937 save percentage.

The Panthers are confident in their own goaltending position, as veteran Sergei Bobrovsky hit his stride in the second round against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Bob leads all postseason goalies in shutouts with two and has an excellent 2.31 GAA of his own.

Both the Canes and Cats have elite goaltending, and their battle will dictate this series.

2. Battle of Depth

What makes both of these teams so dangerous is their ability to create offense from multiple forward lines. It doesn't matter which trio the Hurricanes or Panthers send out, they have full confidence in their ability to gain possession, control the offensive zone, generate scoring chances, and convert.

Just look at each of their team scoring leaders through two rounds. The Panthers have played just 12 games, but have five forwards with at least 10 points already and none of them are named Matthew Tkachuk.

The same can be said for the Hurricanes. Needing just 10 games to advance to the conference finals, Carolina has offense coming from everywhere. Sebastien Aho and Seth Jarvis both have 10 points, Andrei Svechnikov has eight goals, and all but one forward has recorded at least a point so far. The top-tier talent for both teams is overwhelming, but it's likely going to come down to which side's depth comes through to send their side to the Stanley Cup Finals.

3. Stingy Penalty Kills

Another huge factor for these teams' postseason success is their penalty killing. They've been the top two penalty-killing units in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Hurricanes have successfully stopped 93.3% of the power plays against them, while the Panthers have stopped 89.5%. Part of that is goaltending, of course. The other part is their aggressive puck pursuit and ability to win body position battles in the high-danger areas. Which PK unit will bend the most in the conference finals?

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