3 goals in 5 shots in the very first period. That’s how the Florida Panthers opened Game 2 against the Carolina Hurricanes in their home stadium. Yet, the Canes’ frustration started less than two minutes into Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals. “Gustav Forsling! A minute-seventeen into the game and the Florida defense strikes again,” said the announcer as the defenseman opened the scoring.
The hits started coming in almost immediately. While Carolina did look like they could score on some breakaways, Sergei Bobrovsky locked down the net. The frustration reached fever pitch when Andrei Svechnikov escalated things, leading to a costly penalty. “I didn’t like it. It’s just another example of how they look a little bit unglued,” said Elliotte Friedman. So what exactly happened?
Well, things started when Svechnikov boarded Tkachuk, and the Cats’ alternate captain responded with a glancing hit on the Canes’ star’s back. However, the Carolina Hurricanes winger lost his cool the next time they collided, landing a second shot behind Tkachuk’s head. “This is where it goes over the line,” said Friedman. “The more you do it, the more you risk getting the call,” the analyst added.
That’s exactly what happened with Andrei Svechnikov. The officials gave the forward the “unnecessary roughing” penalty, as per The Hockey Writers. But Svechnikov’s punishment didn’t end there. Sam Bennett capitalized on the power play that followed, scoring the Florida Panthers’ third goal of the first period. “That’s just an example of how Carolina is completely discombobulated,” said Elliotte Friedman.
“It’s just an example of how Carolina’s completely discombobulated.”
@FriedgeHNIC breaks down Svechnikov’s penalty as a sign the Hurricanes are out of sync. pic.twitter.com/GbEcqVeTWM
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 23, 2025
This story is developing…
The post Carolina Hurricanes Declared ‘Discombobulated’ Against Florida Panthers as Costly Mistake Affects Stanley Cup appeared first on EssentiallySports.
