If 2023 is anything to go by, the Florida Panthers have the next one in the bag. But, not if the Carolina Hurricanes have anything to say about it. “It’s definitely in the back of your mind and you want to get them back,” said Canes captain Jordan Staal. He is, of course, referring to the humiliating sweep the Canes suffered at the hands of the Panthers in 2023 in the Conference Final. Unable to muster a response, Carolina was left watching as the Panthers and Matthew Tkachuk—scoring 2 OT winners, assisting a winner and scoring 2 regular time goals—ran riot. So yeah, it’s not difficult to see why Staal has a bone to pick.
With the Hurricanes defeating the Capitals 4-1, they knocked out one of the tournament’s favorite teams to win the Stanley Cup. Moreover, they will face a team with whom they have an intriguing rivalry in the form of the Panthers. Over the years, they have played 154 games against each other, with the Hurricanes leading 78-65. Despite their heated clashes over the years, there was a major similarity between the two teams, which Florida D-man Seth Jones highlighted in a recent interview.
During the pre-game interview, he revealed, “I think that they play a simple game there’s no secret plays, there’s no things like that they’re a very straightforward hockey team they have great sticks it’s really like it feels like a man-on-man all over the ice they’re in your face their penalty kills great in your face so there’s not a lot of space out there it’s kind of a similar style we play.”
Source: X/@FlaPanthers
It’s true; the Carolina Hurricanes generate a high volume of shots in their games, though the Panthers are more clinical when it comes to what percentage of those shots end up in goal (2.16 GF/60 to Florida’s 3.20 GF/60). They’re also equally matched on the penalty kill, with both teams boasting some of the best penalty kill units in the postseason. Both teams also have defensive bastions between the crease with Frederik Andersen leading all goalies in GAA with 1.36%, while Sergei Bobrovksy isn’t far behind in third with 2.31%.
The two sides are well matched, though history favors Florida. Meanwhile, the Hurricanes’ playing style has received some criticism of late. As a result, the team’s stars sprang to the defense of the team’s tactics on the ice.
Carolina Hurricanes players rubbish claims of ‘boring’ playstyle
During the series against the Capitals, the Hurricanes received some backlash on their playing style, with fans calling it boring. They criticized the team despite the Hurricanes players admitting that they play fast-paced and high-pressure hockey. As a result, this criticism didn’t go down well with some Hurricanes players.
During an interview, Hurricanes defenseman, Jaccob Slavin, said, “You read it everywhere now and you’re like, ‘OK, we play a high-paced, puck pressure game with a lot of shots. So if people find that boring, then I don’t know. I don’t think it’s a boring game. I think it’s hard to play against. I don’t think it’s boring, though. I think people are confusing boring with hard to play against.”
Further, another player, Seth Jarvis, felt that the fans were being biased toward his team for shutting the opposition down. Nonetheless, the players are confident about the team’s playing style, which rides above everything else. Can the Carolina Hurricanes stop the Panthers’ juggernaut and enter the Stanley Cup final? Let us know your views in the comments below.
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