Panthers-Hurricanes Game 5 preview: Can Carolina force another game?

1 week ago 27

ESPN staffMay 28, 2025, 07:00 AM ET

All signs pointed to the Florida Panthers finishing disconnected the Carolina Hurricanes successful Game 4, but the Canes kept the bid rolling with a 3-0 win connected Monday.

Will the Panthers decorativeness the communicative successful Game 5? Or volition the Hurricanes nonstop the festivities backmost to South Florida again?

Here are matchup notes heading into Wednesday's Game 5 from ESPN Research, arsenic good arsenic betting intel from ESPN BET:

More connected Game 4: Recap | Grades

Matchup notes

Florida Panthers astatine Carolina Hurricanes
Game 5 | 8 p.m. ET | TNT

The Panthers' likelihood to triumph the bid are present -1600, adjusted from -5000 heading into Game 4. The Hurricanes' likelihood person shifted to +750 (adjusted from +1500) aft their win. The Panthers' likelihood to triumph the Cup are present +105 (previously -110), portion the Canes' are present +1800. Sergei Bobrovsky is the starring Conn Smythe campaigner successful this bid astatine +200, followed by Aleksander Barkov (+800).

Game 4 was the Canes' archetypal triumph successful the circular since Game 7 of the 2006 Eastern Conference finals against the Buffalo Sabres, snapping a 15-game league finals losing streak. It was the longest losing streak successful NHL playoff past for a squad successful the circular preceding the Stanley Cup Final. The Hurricanes are present 4-4 all-time successful Game 4s erstwhile trailing 3-0 successful a best-of-seven series.

Frederik Andersen made 20 saves for his 5th vocation playoff shutout, his 2nd with the Hurricanes. He joins Cam Ward (four), Kevin Weekes (two) and Petr Mrazek (two) arsenic goaltenders with aggregate playoff shutouts successful Whalers/Hurricanes Stanley Cup playoffs history.

Carolina's Logan Stankoven scored playoff extremity No. 5 successful the 2nd period. He joins Erik Cole (six successful 2002) and Warren Foegele (five successful 2019) arsenic the lone rookies successful Whalers/Hurricanes past to people astatine slightest 5 goals successful a azygous Stanley Cup playoffs year.

Sebastian Aho scored an empty-net extremity successful the 3rd period, his 32nd vocation playoff tally. That extends his ain franchise grounds for vocation goals successful the Stanley Cup playoffs.

The Panthers were unopen retired for the 2nd clip this postseason; some games were astatine location -- the different lawsuit was Game 6 of the second-round bid against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Florida went 0-4 connected the powerfulness play successful Game 4, and the squad is present 0-8 with the antheral vantage successful the past 2 games of this bid aft going 4-for-5 successful Games 1 and 2.

Though helium hasn't scored a extremity successful the past 2 games, Sam Bennett has a team-leading 9 this postseason. That is 2 shy of the franchise grounds successful a azygous playoff year, presently held by Matthew Tkachuk (2023) and Carter Verhaeghe (2024).