Florida Panthers fan wave their towels during the first period of Game 4 of a Stanley Cup playoffs second-round series on Sunday, May 11, 2025, at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Fla. Alie Skowronski [email protected] The Eastern Conference final has shifted to home ice for the Florida Panthers.

The Florida Panthers have a chance to push the Carolina Hurricanes to the brink as they take a 2-0 lead into Saturday night’s Game 3 of the NHL Eastern Conference Finals.

The Carolina Hurricanes switched goalies for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals, starting Pyotr Kochetkov in net against the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers.

Florida Panthers defenseman Niko Mikkola left Game 3 on Saturday night against the Carolina Hurricanes after scoring twice.

Florida Panthers forward Brad Marchand was ejected from the NHL playoff game series opener on Tuesday after fighting with D Shayne Gostisbehere.

The Florida Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes meet in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final in the Stanley Cup Playoffs Thursday in Raleigh.

Sam Reinhart did not play for the Florida Panthers in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals against Carolina on Saturday night because of a left knee injury, one that happened Thursday when he was skated into by the Hurricanes’ Sebastian Aho.

Carter Verhaeghe signed an eight-year extension after leading Florida with 11 goals in the 2024 postseason and 72 points in the regular season, following up that campaign with his fourth consecutive 20-goal season in 2024-25. Verhaeghe logged eight points (4-4-8) through two rounds in the 2025 postseason.