Bobrovsky Shuts Out Hurricanes, Florida Takes 2-0 Series Lead

The Carolina Hurricanes turned into a tropical depression in Raleigh as the Florida Panthers dominated for the second-straight game, beating the Canes by a score of 5-0 and taking a 2-0 series lead. In another rare instance of stress-free postseason hockey, the Cats locked down Carolina’s defense and lit up the scoreboard from start to finish.

Carolina does a lot of things similar to Florida in their style of hockey. Aggressive forecheck, physicality near the boards, and dump-in opportunities to score. The problem is that in these last two games, the Panthers have done just about everything SIGNIFICANTLY better. Carolina’s starts have been absent, and their goaltender can only do so much.

Weathering A Light Storm

Once Florida took a 3-0 lead after the first period, things were smooth sailing the rest of the way through. Carolina’s closest chance to getting on the scoreboard was an actual goal scored in the second period. However, after a coach’s challenge, the play leading up to the goal was determined to be offside. After that opportunity came and went, it was crickets the rest of the way.

Gustav Forsling spelled doom early on with a snapshot goal 1:16 into the first period. Once again, having defensemen who are this exceptional in scoring goals is a broken recipe for success. And for Florida, they have numerous players to rely on.

Oh yeah, I forgot Matthew Tkachuk turns into Prime Wayne Gretzky when he plays Carolina. He tipped in Florida's second goal of the game. 🐈#TimeToHunt pic.twitter.com/D0sWx84rMF

— Jake Gibson (@JakeTheEmcee) May 23, 2025

The remaining goals in the first period were tip-ins from Sam Bennett and Matthew Tkachuk. Speaking of the latter, many fans have called out Tkachuk’s underwhelming stat lines leading up to this series. However, he put those worries to rest tonight with a goal and an assist. He just seems to play some of his best hockey against Carolina in the postseason.

Hunker Down And You’ll Be Fine

Typically, when Florida gets a big lead, they play defensive-oriented hockey that denies a chance of a comeback. That was the case tonight as the second and third periods were a blur. They flew by except for two more Florida goals, scored by Bennett and Aleksander Barkov.

Any big-name player for Carolina tonight that you can think of, well, they didn’t show up. This continues a miserable streak for the Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final, now losing their 14th straight ECF game. Sergei Bobrovsky made sure of this, making all 17 saves while Florida’s penalty kill only allowed power-play shot on three opportunities.

Sam Reinhart is OUT for the rest of Game 2 after this hit from Sebastian Aho in the first pic.twitter.com/Xwjqj6Kxj7

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) May 23, 2025

It’s not all good news, however. On a hit to the lower body by Sebastian Aho to Sam Reinhart earlier in the game, Reino had to leave the game early and did not return. It’s too early to assess how badly this injury could be. While Florida has unbelievable depth, it would be a major loss to lose a player of his caliber.

Regardless, Florida has a dominant 2-0 series lead. The series will head south to Sunrise, beginning with Game Three. That’ll be on Saturday, May 24th at 8pm.