Panthers credit ‘game that travels’ with taking series lead over Hurricanes
Aaron Ekblad of the Florida Panthers had a simple answer Wednesday when asked about his team’s success on the road in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
“We have a game that travels,” the veteran defenseman said. “It’s unwavering home or away. We trust in it and we do it.”
Part of that road success is a 5-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday in the opening game of the Eastern Conference final at the Lenovo Center. It was the Panthers’ sixth road victory in the postseason.
The Panthers will look to make it seven wins Thursday in Game 2 of the best-of-seven series against the Canes, who will do everything they can to avoid an 0-2 start at home.
In 2023, the Canes lost their first two home games of the conference final and were swept in four games by the Panthers. They’ll do everything they can to avoid that again.
What needs to change for the Hurricanes, who were 5-0 at home before Tuesday?
Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour said Wednesday his team gave up two “freebie” goals to Florida in the opener, both after mistakes. That has to change. The Canes allowed two power-play goals. That needs to change.
Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky remains unflappable in net and that doesn’t figure to change. He took a bump in the head from Canes forward Andrei Svechnikov in the series opener and hardly seemed fazed even as his teammates took umbrage with Svechnikov.
“Everybody’s trying to get to the blue paint, especially in this series because it’s hard,” Maurice said. “We’ll take care of our goaltender and they’ll take care of theirs.
“Sergei is not a kid. He’s been through it. He’s been bumped. He’s been run over by our own defense at times. It just doesn’t bother him. Nobody likes getting an elbow in the head, but it won’t be the first time and it won’t be the last.”
The Canes had some good scoring chances Tuesday but picked up their goals on a puck off Sebastian Aho’s skate in front of the crease and a power-play score by Jackson Blake in the final minutes of a game that had been long decided.
In the second period, with Florida leading 3-1, Bobrovsky had his stick knocked out of his hands. He soon faced a shot by the Canes’ Jack Roslovic, a sniper open in the slot, but squared up and stopped it with his glove.
Those are the kind of plays that can decide games. Those are the plays Bobrovsky can make look routine.
“There’s not much that can get him off his game,” Panthers defenseman Dmitry Kulikov said Wednesday. “An off-day for him is a pretty good day for any other goalie in the NHL.”
The Panthers lost the first two games in Toronto in the second-round series but later returned to win Game 5 and then Game 7 at Scotiabank Arena, both decisively.
Game 7 had the city of Toronto in a frenzy, and the Panthers rolled in and won, 6-1.
“We don’t necessarily feel any different at home as we do on the road,” Maurice said.
Maurice said his players “stick together” on the ice and on the bench. They did it against Tampa Bay in the opening round, against Toronto and now in Game 1 of the conference final.
“That’s a big part of playing on the road because you are at an emotional deficit, because every time your opponent shoots the puck at home their crowd goes nuts,” he said. “You ring one off the bar and you get no positive feedback on the road, so it has to come from the bench.
“The closer your team is, the more you get it from the bench (after) a big block, good battle, big hit, great goal. Whatever it is, they’re constantly reinforcing a positive you’re not getting anywhere else on the road. That emotional energy comes from the players to the players.”
The Panthers will rely on that again in Game 2 against a Canes team that should play harder and better after taking the home-ice loss. Again, it will be a fight for open ice, scoring chances.
“Because both teams play such a hard-gap game there’s no room, there’s not a lot of development of plays,” Maurice said.
The Panthers have made it work in the playoffs, home and on the road. Entering Thursday’s game they have a 6-2 road record in the playoffs and outscored opponents 38-18, with nine power-play goals.
“It’s everybody doing their job,” Kulikov said.
Sounds simple enough.
This story was originally published May 21, 2025 at 4:29 PM with the headline "Panthers credit ‘game that travels’ with taking series lead over Hurricanes."
