Let's Play 60 (And No More...): Prior to falling in the sixth-longest game in NHL history to start the series, the Canes had won their seven most recent playoff games that had gone to overtime.
Dueling Tendies: Canes goaltender Frederik Andersen and Cats netminder Sergei Bobrovsky stole the show in Game 1, turning away 57 shots and 63 shots, respectively. The loss marked Andersen's first of the postseason, but the Dane has still posted a .936 save percentage and 1.65 goals against average across seven appearances, while his 57-save night set a new franchise record for saves in a postseason game. On the other hand, Bobrovsky became just the third goaltender since 1955-56 to post back-to-back 50-save performances in the postseason after a 50-save outing in Florida's Game-5 victory over Toronto in Round 2. The Russian has allowed exactly two goals in six straight games.
Home Ice vs. Hot Streak: The Game 1 result dropped Carolina's postseason home record to 5-2, but the team is still 12-3 at PNC Arena over the past two playoff runs. Conversely, the Panthers are riding a seven-game road winning streak dating back to Game 2 of their first-round upset of Boston.
Stealing Jarvard: Seth Jarvis tallied one goal and one assist in Game 1, marking his third multi-point performance of the playoffs. The 21-year-old is now tied with Sebastian Aho and Jesper Fast for the team lead with five goals this postseason, and his 10 points are tied for second-most on the team with Jordan Martinook. Aho paces the Canes with 11 points in 13 games.
Rest and Recovery: After the sixth-longest game in NHL history in Game 1, both teams will need to reset for Game 2. Brent Burns (54:43) and Jaccob Slavin (51:41) each cracked 50 minutes of ice time in the series opener, while Brandon Montour (57:56), Gustav Forsling (55:41), and Aaron Ekblad (52:10) all crossed that threshold for Florida.
The Special Teams Battle: Carolina won the special teams battle in the series' first game, going 2-for-6 on the power play and a perfect 3-for-3 on the penalty kill. The Canes are now 9-for-43 on the power play in the postseason (20.9%) and 30-for-33 on the penalty kill (90.9%). The Panthers are 8-for-32 on the man advantage in the playoffs (25%), and 29-for-44 on the kill (65.9%). Stefan Noesen tallied his team-leading third power-play goal and fifth power-play point in Carolina's Game 1 defeat.
