2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Eastern Conference Final Preview

We have made it halfway through the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs as the Conference Finals in the East and West are set.

The two best teams in the Eastern Conference, the Florida Panthers and the Carolina Hurricanes, will play in a 2023 Eastern Conference Final rematch. Carolina is looking to return to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2006. Meanwhile, the Panthers are trying to send a team from Florida back to the Final for the sixth straight year.

Remember, the Tampa Bay Lightning had three straight appearances in the Stanley Cup Final from 2020 to 2022. Now, the Panthers are looking to go to their third straight Final after going in 2023 and 2024. Florida is also the defending Stanley Cup Champion and got back after dominating Game 7 against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Meanwhile, the Hurricanes are back in the Eastern Conference Final for the third time in the Rod Brind’Amour era. Carolina beat the Washington Capitals in five games in Round 2. This group of Hurricanes is looking to flip the script as they try to win a game in the Conference Final since 2006. Carolina has been swept each time they have made it this far.

Pittsburgh swept Carolina in 2009. Then, when Brind’Amour started coaching, his team got swept by the Boston Bruins in 2019. When these two met in 2023, the Panthers swept the Hurricanes in four competitive games. As Brind’Amour said back then, it didn’t feel like a sweep.

Let’s dive into the Eastern Conference Final preview for the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Click here for the Western Conference Final.

2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs Conference Final Preview

Eastern Conference Final

Florida Panthers vs Carolina Hurricanes

As mentioned, the Carolina Hurricanes were the first team to punch their ticket to the Conference Final. In Round 2, Carolina defeated the Capitals in five games. The Hurricanes took a highly skilled Capitals team and made them play their “boring” hockey style. Again, Carolina shoots the puck from everywhere on the ice, and they usually have more shot attempts than their opponent.

The issue for the Hurricanes is that they are playing almost a carbon copy of themselves against the Florida Panthers. Both teams forecheck hard, forcing the other team into turnovers, which leads to goals. Both teams are relentless on the puck. Just ask the Maple Leafs how relentless the Panthers are; no matter what the score is, Florida plays the same way.

Again, the Panthers knocked off the Maple Leafs in seven games, embarrassing Toronto on their home ice in Game 7 by a score of 6-1. The champs are the champs for a reason, and we see why they were and are one of the favourites to win the Stanley Cup again this season. Los Angeles Kings coach Jim Hiller said it best when he called the Florida Panthers the standard on how to play in the NHL on a nightly basis.

The Panthers have no quit as they play that hard-working, hard-nosed for 60 minutes. Last time these two teams met, two overtimes games were needed as Matthew Tkachuk recorded the winning goal in three of the four games. Remember, the Panthers took Game 1 in quadruple overtime. It could be more similar when these teams meet again this year.

The Hurricanes had some time off before Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final. Let’s see how much rust they have, as the Panthers just played Game 7 on Sunday night. The series gets going Tuesday in Raleigh. The home team’s advantage is that the crowd plays a role in every game. There is a reason it is a House of Horrors for many in the playoffs.

Both teams can score goals. On the Carolina side are Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov, Taylor Hall, Logan Stankoven, Jordan Martinook, Jordan Staal, and Jackson Blake. Meanwhile, the Panthers still have the same talented players that won the Cup last season, led by Aleksander Barkov, Carter Verhaeghe, Sam Reinhart, Brad Marchand, Sam Bennett, and Tkachuk.

However, this time, the Panthers have a little more depth scoring than the Hurricanes. In the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Florida Panthers have had goals scored by 17 different players. In addition, the Panthers have had goals from 22 of the 23 skaters who have played in a playoff game. The Panthers best line has been Marchand-Anton Lundell-Eetu Luostarinen.

Both teams have active defensemen who will play a significant role in the series. The best overall defenseman in the series is Jaccob Slavin of the Carolina Hurricanes. However, with how Aaron Ekblad and Seth Jones are playing for the Panthers right now, they could impact the series on the backend.

Sergei Bobrovsky is playing on another level right now for the Panthers. He has found his form from last season and the prior season. It will be hard for the Hurricanes to get pucks through him. However, you could say the same thing about Frederik Andersen. He is leading the playoffs in save percentage and goals against average. Andersen, when healthy, is one of the best in the league. There could be a real goalie duel here.

As always, special teams will factor in who wins this series. Carolina has one of the best penalty kill and power play units in the playoffs. A big reason the Hurricanes got to the Conference Final was timely goals on the Round 1 and 2 power plays. How the Hurricanes can play shorthanded and how aggressive they are could hinder the Panthers’ power play. However, the Panthers’ special team units are too shabby, either.

This will be a fun series to watch. It should not end in a sweep like last time. Either the Hurricanes are back in the Final for the first time since 2006, or the Panthers are making their third straight trip to the Final.

The action gets underway Tuesday night at 8 pm in Carolina.