Hurricanes vs. Panthers score: Florida outlasts Carolina 5-3 in Game 5 to advance to Stanley Cup Final

The Florida Panthers are heading back to the Stanley Cup Final for the third straight season. Their journey to clinch the Eastern Conference title on Wednesday night involved overcoming an initial setback.

In Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final, Florida rallied from an early 2-0 deficit to defeat the Carolina Hurricanes by a score of 5-3. Playing on home ice, the Hurricanes started strong, with Sebastian Aho netting two goals in the first period to give Carolina a two-goal advantage at the first intermission.

However, the Panthers significantly shifted the momentum thereafter. Just over seven minutes into the second period, Matthew Tkachuk sparked Florida`s comeback by tipping in a power play goal, getting his team on the scoreboard.

Tkachuk`s goal initiated a sequence of three Florida goals scored within a span of 4:26. The Panthers took the lead when Anton Lundell beat Aho to the front of the net, converting a perfect pass from Brad Marchand.

Carolina offered some resistance in the third period. A strong forecheck led to Seth Jarvis executing a superb shot over the shoulder of goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, tying the game at 3-3.

That equalizer momentarily energized the Hurricanes and the arena, but the momentum was short-lived.

Less than four minutes later, Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov made the decisive play. He outmuscled Carolina defenseman Dmitry Orlov, skillfully deked around Eric Robinson, and found Carter Verhaeghe with a pass to the back post for the game-winning goal.

Barkov also contributed an assist on Sam Bennett`s empty-net goal. He was one of four Panthers stars who recorded multiple points in the game; Bennett, Reinhart, and Tkachuk were the others.

The Panthers now join an exclusive group as only the fourth team since 1980 to reach the Stanley Cup Final three years in a row. They are in the company of the New York Islanders, Edmonton Oilers, and Tampa Bay Lightning.

Following the on-ice presentation, and as was the case last year before winning the Cup, the Panthers players did not touch the Prince of Wales Trophy. A more significant prize awaits, potentially in a rematch of a recent Final against the Edmonton Oilers. The Oilers currently hold a 3-1 lead over the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference Final and could secure their spot in Game 5 on Thursday night.

Meanwhile, the Carolina Hurricanes have now been eliminated in the Eastern Conference Final for the second time in the last three seasons. Their record in their last four conference final appearances stands at 1-16.