The Florida Panthers have been in a position to take a commanding 2-0 sequence 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 scientific precision by the Panthers
The Florida Panthers despatched a message of their Sport 1 win.
They expanded on it in Sport 2.
Let’s hold one factor in thoughts right here: The Carolina Hurricanes are an excellent hockey staff, they usually have been an excellent hockey staff for a number of years. They persistently win a playoff sequence or two yearly, they’ll compete with anyone they usually do just about every little thing nicely. That is no pushover hockey staff. And Florida is totally dominating them. Crushing them. They’re making it look simple.
All of that could be a testomony to only how nice this Panthers staff is — and the way a lot better it has been than all people else within the NHL the previous three years.
Not solely did they rating 5 objectives towards one of many NHL’s finest defensive groups, however they restricted the league’s finest volume-shooting staff to a season-low 17 photographs on objective. It is just the fourth time all 12 months (82 common season video games and 12 playoff video games) that Carolina did not register a minimum of 20 photographs on objective 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 laborious to think about someone beating this staff 4 instances in a seven-game stretch.
Now Carolina has to beat them 4 instances in a five-game stretch. That simply looks like an impossibly tall process.
Panthers proceed to be highway warriors
By taking the primary two video games of the sequence on the highway, the Panthers continued their highway dominance and improved to 7-2 away from south Florida this season.
They’ve additionally gained their previous 4 highway video games in somewhat decisive vogue, outscoring Toronto and Carolina by a 22-4 margin.
