PREVIEW: Cats 'recharged and ready to go' heading into Game 1 at Carolina

RALEIGH, N.C. -- After taking down two of the top teams in the NHL to get back to the Eastern Conference Final for the first time since 1996, the Florida Panthers will look to keep their foot on the gas when they open their series against the Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena on Thursday.

"A lot of excitement, for sure," Panthers forward Nick Cousins said. "The guys are kind of antsy to get going. We've had a little bit of a break here to get some rest. Guys are recharged and ready to go. There should be good energy in the building tonight. It's a good challenge for us."

Despite having to finish out the regular season on a 6-1-1 run just to sneak into the playoffs by just one point, the Panthers have looked like anything but typical underdogs through their first two series.

After erasing a 3-1 series deficit to come from behind and stun the 65-win Boston Bruins with a Game 7 win in overtime in Round 1, the Panthers took that momentum right into Round 2 where it took just five games to send the star-studded Toronto Maple Leafs packing.

Making some history along the way, the Panthers are just the fifth team since 1943-44 to win more one playoff series after entering the postseason as the lowest-ranked team among the field of contenders.

But now that they've come this far, does the stage start to feel bigger?

"I think it does," Cousins said. "You look around the league and there's only four teams left. Everybody's watching at this time of the year. There's one game a night now instead of two or three like there was when there were 16 teams left. The stage does feel bigger, for sure. It's the best time of the year. It's the middle of May in South Florida and we're still playing hockey. It's exciting times."

Going back to the series against Toronto, the biggest key to success for the Panthers was the man between the pipes. Never giving up more than two goals in a game in the series, Sergei Bobrovsky posted a stellar .943 save percentage and made a whopping 50 high-danger saves.

Matthew Tkachuk and Aaron Ekblad each notched a team-high five points in the series. Fresh off registering a career-high 109 points (40 goals, 69 assists) during his first season in South Florida, Tkachuk, a finalist for the Hart Trophy, has tallied a team-high 16 points in the playoffs.

In terms of roster notes, Ryan Lomberg has been a full participant in recent practices could potentially get back into the lineup for Game 1. Out since suffering an upper-body injury in Game 4 against the Bruins, the gritty speedster scored 12 goals during the regular season.

Looking at this latest challenge, head coach Paul Maurice expects it to be a game of inches.

"Both teams will have more energy, more jump," said Maurice, who previously coached the Hurricanes for 11 seasons. "I think it'll look different just because of styles. This series will look more, in terms of defense, like the Boston series, the grind of that series. It'll be heavy. There will be a lot of hitting. It shouldn't be easy to move the puck from one end of the ice to the other."

Earning the second seed in the Eastern Conference after winning the Metropolitan Division, the Hurricanes eliminated the New York Islanders in six games in Round 1. Picking up some steam from that series, they then needed just five games to defeat the New Jersey Devils in Round 2.

After finishing with the second-ranked defense in the NHL during the regular season, the Hurricanes showcased more of the same while shutting down New Jersey's potent offense.

Over the course of the five-game series, Carolina surrendered two-or-fewer goals in four games, including giving up just one goal in three games.If not for New Jersey's eight-goal outburst in Game 3, the overall defensive numbers for the Hurricanes in the series would be even greater.

The backbone of that stalwart defense in recent games has been Frederik Andersen.

While the Hurricanes have used three goaltenders in the playoffs already, Andersen took the reins on the team's starting job when he slid back into the crease in Game 6 against the Islanders in Round 1. Since then, he's posted a 5-0 record with a .931 save percentage.

In front of Andersen, the Hurricanes boast an exceptional group of defensemen. At the center of that D corps are Brent Burns and Jaccob Slavin. When they've been on the ice at 5-on-5 in the playoffs, Carolina has posted big advantages in scoring chances (103-77) and goals (13-3).

Enjoying a career resurgence with the Hurricanes after being acquired from the San Jose Sharks this past offseason, Burns, who took home the Norris Trophy as the league's top defenseman in 2016, tallied 61 points (18 goals, 43 assists) during the regular season.

Up front, Sebastian Aho and Jordan Martinook lead the Hurricanes with 10 points each during the playoffs. Led by more of a group effort than one or two singular stars, 12 different players on the team have scored at least two goals and 19 have notched at least one point.

Getting a key player back in their lineup for Game 1, Teuvo Teravainen is expected to suit up against the Panthers after suffering a hand injury in Game 2 against the Islanders in Round 1. In 75 career playoff games, the 28-year-old forward has amassed 43 points (20 goals, 23 assists).

In terms of the 5-on-5 action, the Panthers and Hurricanes were two of the top teams in the NHL during the regular season. According to NaturalStatTrick.com, Carolina finished first in the NHL in expected goals for percentage (59.85%), while Florida wasn't too far behind in fifth (53.73%).

At first glance, this matchup should be exceptional theater between two fantastic clubs.

"They play a certain style that is really unique and different from the rest of the league," Tkachuk said. "They've had tons of success. There's not one weakness in their game. … They've got everything going for them right now, and it's going to take a lot to beat them."

Of course, Boston and Toronto also "had a lot going for them" before they played the Panthers.

And we all know how those series turned out.

THEY SAID IT

"I think it's two teams that play a similar style. Whoever can stick to their game plan the longest is probably going to be the one that comes out on top. We've talked about that as a group. It's just about going out there and executing." - Nick Cousins on the keys to beating the Hurricanes

"This is what you play for. This is why we train. This is why we compete and play the game. This is what we've all dreamed of. That's not just the three of us, that's every guy in both rooms. You've got to enjoy it and got to embrace it. Just looking forward to the challenge." - Eric Staal on teaming up with brother Marc to face fellow brother Jordan of the Hurricanes in Round 3

"To be honest, we're just playing a little differently. Last year we obviously had great success in the regular season, but it doesn't always translate. We're playing a different style of hocky. We're a tight group. We're all composed. We're having a lot of fun playing hockey and playing for each other." - Carter Verhaeghe on the Panthers finding playoff success

PLAYOFF LEADERS

Panthers

Goals: Montour (6), Reinhart (6)

Assists:Tkachuk (11)

Points:Tkachuk (16)

Hurricanes

Goals:Aho (5), Fast (5)

Assists:Martinook (7)

Points:Aho (10), Martinook (10)

PANTHERS PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)

Forwards

Carter Verhaeghe - Aleksander Barkov - Anthony Duclair

Nick Cousins - Sam Bennett - Matthew Tkachuk

Eetu Luostarinen - Anton Lundell - Sam Reinhart

Colin White - Eric Staal - Zac Dalpe/Ryan Lomberg

Defensemen

Gustav Forsling - Aaron Ekblad

Marc Staal - Brandon Montour

Josh Mahura - Radko Gudas

Goaltenders

Sergei Bobrovsky

Alex Lyon

RECENT TRANSACTIONS

- May 8:F Mackie Samoskevich agreed to terms on a three-year, entry-level contract

HOW TO WATCH

When: Thursday, May 18 at 8 p.m. ET

Where: PNC Arena - Raleigh, NC

TV & Streaming:TNT, SN, CBC, TVAS

Radio: 560 WQAM (Dade/Broward); 92.1 WZZR (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); SiriusXM Streaming Channel 220 / App & Streaming 932; NHL App

Watch Party:FTL Block Party

PREGAME LISTEN

Hear from Sam Reinhart on this week's episode of Territory Talk.