The Florida Panthers have been capable of take a commanding 2-0 collection lead within the Japanese Convention Ultimate on Thursday after a dominant 5-0 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. Listed here are some key takeaways from their win as they’re now simply two wins away from a 3rd consecutive journey to the Stanley Cup Ultimate.
This was medical precision by the Panthers
The Florida Panthers despatched a message of their Recreation 1 win.
They expanded on it in Recreation 2.
Let’s maintain one factor in thoughts right here: The Carolina Hurricanes are an impressive hockey staff, and so they have been an impressive hockey staff for a number of years. They persistently win a playoff collection or two yearly, they’ll compete with anyone and so they do just about every thing nicely. That is no pushover hockey staff. And Florida is completely dominating them. Crushing them. They’re making it look straightforward.
All of that may be a testomony to only how nice this Panthers staff is — and the way significantly better it has been than all people else within the NHL the previous three years.
Not solely did they rating 5 targets in opposition to one of many NHL’s greatest defensive groups, however they restricted the league’s greatest volume-shooting staff to a season-low 17 pictures on purpose. It’s only the fourth time all yr (82 common season video games and 12 playoff video games) that Carolina didn’t register at the very least 20 pictures on purpose in a sport.
Their stars shined offensively as Sam Bennett and Carter Verhaeghe all recorded three factors, Matthew Tkachuk had three and beginning goalie Sergei Bobrovsky recorded his third shutout of the playoffs.
It is nonetheless exhausting to think about someone beating this staff 4 occasions in a seven-game stretch.
Now Carolina has to beat them 4 occasions in a five-game stretch. That simply looks as if an impossibly tall activity.
Panthers proceed to be street warriors
By taking the primary two video games of the collection on the street, the Panthers continued their street dominance and improved to 7-2 away from south Florida this season.
They’ve additionally received their previous 4 street video games in somewhat decisive trend, outscoring Toronto and Carolina by a 22-4 margin.
