The Florida Panthers continued their dominant display in the Eastern Conference Finals with a 5-0 shutout victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday, May 22.
The Panthers now lead the best-of-seven series 2-0 and could potentially sweep the Canes and advance to their third straight Stanley Cup Finals as early as Monday, May 26. Florida also has the advantage of home ice for the next two games in the series.
Pat McAfee did not pull any punches while discussing the ongoing playoff series on “The Pat McAfee Show.”
Sports Analyst Pat McAfee’s Bold Series Prediction
In a video clip posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday, May 23, McAfee featured several highlight reels showing Panthers players getting the better of their opponents in physical confrontations.
“They’re dominating the Carolina Hurricanes, not only on the scoreboard but also physically,” McAfee said on his show. “They’re just beating the hell out of the Carolina Hurricanes, mentally, physically, and it feels like that’s a sweep.”
The Florida Panthers are BEATING THE HELL out of the Carolina Hurricanes #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/VM1hHIhRnj
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow)
The 5-0 loss in Game 2 was Carolina’s 14th straight loss in a conference final, an unwanted record going back to them getting swept in their last conference finals appearances in 2009, 2019 and 2023, the last one also against the Panthers.
Speaking to reporters after Thursday’s game, Carolina head coach Rod Brind’Amour expressed his frustration with the team’s disjointed performance.
“I don’t know what I was watching in the first period. That didn’t go well. I said the other day, the margins here are tight. We’re not going to beat this team if we’re not on the same page. Tonight, for whatever the reason… I think the intentions were good. Everyone’s trying, saying, ‘Hey, I’m going to do this,’ but that’s not how we do it. Just backfired,” Brind’Amour said.
Gustav Forsling Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Bennett scored for Florida in the first period of the game. Bennett added his second of the night late in the second period, and team captain Aleksander Barkov finished the scoring with a power-play goal in the third. Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky made 17 saves for his third shutout of the playoffs.
In contrast, Brind’Amour pulled Canes’ starting goalie Frederik Andersen in the second period after he allowed four goals on 16 shots.
“It might have been natural to take a little bit to get going tonight, and it was the exact opposite,” Tkachuk said via NHL.com. “It was an unreal start for us. That’s just a [heck] of a road trip.”
Game 3 of the series is scheduled to be played on Saturday, May 24, at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida. The Canes will need to win at least one of the upcoming two games to keep the series alive.