The Carolina Hurricanes look to steal Game 3 on the road and avoid falling behind three games to none against the Florida Panthers in this Eastern Conference Final matchup.

The Hurricanes lost Game 2 at home, 5-0. They fell behind 3-0 after the first period and gave up goals in every frame. The Canes were outshot 21-17 and outhit 56-42. Their power play went 0-for-3, and their penalty kill was 0-for-2. Carolina gave the puck away frequently and was extremely limited in scoring chances compared to Game 1. It's tough to see them bouncing back after being blown out at home twice.

The Panthers return to Florida with a 2-0 series lead. They have now won three straight playoff games and are playing flawlessly on both sides of the puck. Florida has scored five or more goals in each of those games, and Sergei Bobrovsky has recorded three shutouts during this postseason run. The Panthers have been putting up big offensive numbers in every series, and their defense has now allowed two goals or fewer in six consecutive games.

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*The above data was collected on May 23, 2025, and may have changed since writing.

Carolina Hurricanes

Florida Panthers

Carolina ranks ninth in scoring, 10th in goals against, 25th on the power play, and first on the penalty kill. Unfortunately, all of these rankings have been ineffective in this series, especially their special teams play. To make matters worse, the status of their leading scorer, Seth Jarvis, is in question for Game 3. The Canes are struggling in all key areas, but they can begin to recover by getting back to playing solid defensive hockey. They beat the Washington Capitals by slowing down their offense and capitalizing in critical moments. It's also time for that top-ranked penalty kill to step up again.

Florida ranks 15th in scoring, seventh in goals against average, tied for 13th on the power play, and 10th on the penalty kill. Based on how the Panthers have played in this series, they might as well rank first in every category. Aleksander Barkov leads the team in assists and has picked up two points so far in the series. Florida doesn't need to change much about its game, though it's worth noting they are just 3-2 at home in these playoffs. Their last two home games were low-scoring, but they've had some high-scoring performances as well.

Best Bet: Florida Spread

The Panthers will be ready to protect home ice. So far, Florida has outscored Carolina 10-2 in this series, and the Canes' offense hasn't produced much on the road during these playoffs. Both teams continue to play very physically, and shot totals have been relatively even. However, Florida is dominating in special teams play, and Bobrovsky is making key saves, whether he's facing a high or low volume of shots.