FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- The Florida Panthers will try to keep two perfect records intact against the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final at Amerant Bank Arena on Monday (8 p.m. ET; MAX, truTV, TNT, SN, TVAS, CBC).
The Panthers have won seven straight games against the Hurricanes in the conference final since 2023. They're also 3-0 all-time when they have a chance to advance to the Stanley Cup Final.
Florida won Game 7 against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1996 conference final after winning Game 6 to stay alive. They swept the Hurricanes in the 2023 conference final and won Game 6 of the conference final against the New York Rangers last season after taking a 3-2 lead in the best-of-7 series.
"Experience teaches us not to get too high and not to get too low in the playoffs," Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov said. "We have another big game tonight. We know they're going to bring their best. We have to bring our best. That's how we have to approach this."
Florida is trying to become the second team this decade to reach the Cup Final in three consecutive seasons. It would join the Tampa Bay Lightning, who did it from 2020-22.
"It's trust in your game, I think, in any situation," Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad said. "Down 2-0 in a series, down 2-0 in a game or if we're up 4-1, it's an unwavering commitment to playing the game that we play. You can't change things for any situation. You can't open up your game. The little details are extremely important; getting that puck over the blue line out of your zone so they have to dump it back in, putting it in deep every single time, it's really important."
The Panthers have done all of that in this series and have outscored the Hurricanes 16-4, scoring at least once in eight of nine periods.
But they're also limiting Carolina from getting pucks to the net. The Hurricanes are averaging 25.0 shots on goal per game, down from 33.2 in the first two rounds. They’re averaging 49.3 shot attempts per game, down from 64.9 in the first two rounds, according to NHL Stats.
"We're not on a different page, I think we're trying to do different things at times and, again, you've got to give them credit," Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "They're forcing us into, 'Oh, we're not getting anything, we're not getting anything.' That's OK. You've got to wait for your opportunity and not lose patience with our game. I think that's part of what's happened. There's more to it than that, but that's part of it."
This is the third straight year the Hurricanes have trailed 3-0 in a series, including against the Panthers in the 2023 conference final (they were swept) and against the Rangers in the second round last season, when they responded by winning Games 4 and 5.
"I think the biggest thing is just believing in ourselves," Carolina forward Seth Jarvis said. "I think you can get in these situations and kind of get down or really just kind of mail it in, but I think with this group there's none of that happening.
“I think we're all excited for the challenge. We're all excited to maybe do something not many teams have done before and come back, but it all starts with one and creating a little bit of momentum."
Teams that lead a best-of-7 series 3-0 have gone on to win the series 208 out of 212 times. Carolina is 0-7 in such instances; Florida is 5-0 when up 3-0.
Here's a breakdown of Game 4:
Hurricanes: Frederik Andersen will be back in goal after Pyotr Kochetkov got the start in Game 3. Kochetkov replaced Andersen for the third period of Game 2. Andersen allowed nine goals on 36 shots in the first two games for a 5.54 goals-against average and .750 save percentage. Kochetkov allowed six goals on 28 shots in Game 3. Andersen was one of the biggest reasons the Hurricanes advanced to the conference final, allowing 12 goals on 189 shots in nine starts during the first two rounds, going 7-2 with a 1.36 GAA and .937 save percentage. "When he's feeling it, he can steal games and we need that right now, obviously," Carolina captain Jordan Staal said. The Hurricanes likely will be without defensemen Sean Walker and Jalen Chatfield for the second straight game because of undisclosed injuries. Rookies Scott Morrow and Alexander Nikishin would play again.
Panthers: There will be some changes with defenseman Niko Mikkola and forward A.J. Greer joining forward Sam Reinhart on the injured list. All three will not play. Mikkola was injured after crashing into the end boards during the third period of Game 3; he scored two goals in the game before leaving. Greer also was injured during the third period of Game 3. Reinhart was injured during the first period of Game 2 and didn't play Game 3. Nico Sturm will go in for Greer on the fourth line with Jonah Gadjovich and Tomas Nosek. Uvis Balinskis will play for Mikkola and likely be part of the second pair with Seth Jones.
Number to know: 15. That's how many goals the Panthers have gotten from their defensemen during the playoffs, an average of one per game, including four in three games against the Hurricanes. Florida leads the postseason in goals from defensemen after finishing 13th during the regular season (37).
What to look for: Carolina hasn’t had an answer for Florida's second line of Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett and Carter Verhaeghe. All three forwards have five points in the series, including three goals for Bennett and four assists each for Tkachuk and Verhaeghe. They were on the ice for three even-strength goals in Game 2 and one in Game 3. The Panthers have a 43-32 advantage in shot attempts when the three of them are on the ice together, including 22-11 in Game 3, according to NHL Stats. They have not been on the ice for a goal against. The Hurricanes must find a way to at the very least slow down the line, if not limit it all together.
What they are saying
"We've got to come out with everything we've got. It's a full sprint now. They're way ahead of us and we've got to give it all we got. Throw everything at them and keep chipping away." -- Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal
"We are not in this position right now because of one person. We're here because of the whole team and the depth, guys coming in and out of the lineup, different guys stepping up at different times of the year and throughout the playoffs. That's what makes our team successful is the camaraderie, how much fun we have, how much we root for one another and just how much we care about one another. We are a family." -- Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk
