Florida storms into Raleigh, swipes the remote, eats all the snacks, and drops 5 goals to start the series in style.
If the Hurricanes thought home ice would offer some protection, the Florida Panthers skated in on May 20 like they had other plans—loud, cat-shaped, five-goal plans.
The result? Panthers 5, Hurricanes 2 — and that score feels generous if you’re from Raleigh.
Florida came out with the confidence of a team that eats adversity for breakfast and then double-shifts lunch. Their top line looked like it had cheat codes activated, slicing through Carolina’s D like butter left on a southern porch.
Matthew Tkachuk was out here being his usual chaotic self — equal parts scoring threat and professional pot-stirrer. Meanwhile, Bobrovsky locked the net down so hard the Hurricanes might as well have been shooting beach balls.
Carolina had their moments, sure. But every time they sniffed a comeback, Florida was there with a metaphorical rolled-up newspaper: “No. Bad storm.”
Credit where it’s due — the Canes had the crowd, but the Cats had claws, speed, and a full tank of playoff rage.
Let’s just say if this series is a heavyweight fight, Florida just landed the first punch — and it rattled the building.
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