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The Eastern Conference Finals are underway, as the defending champion Florida Panthers take on the Carolina Hurricanes. These two powerhouse squads go toe-to-toe to decide who will represent the East in the Stanley Cup Finals for the second time in the past three seasons. Let's explore what to watch for as the first conference finals series gets underway.
1. Andersen vs. Bobrovsky
The biggest storyline in this series is the goaltending matchup, which is shaping up to be spectacular. Hurricanes starter Frederik Andersen is having the playoff run of his career, leading all goalies in the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a 1.36 goals-against average and .937 save percentage.
The Panthers are confident in their own goaltending position, as veteran Sergei Bobrovsky hit his stride in the second round against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Bob leads all postseason goalies in shutouts with two and has an excellent 2.31 GAA of his own.
Both the Canes and Cats have elite goaltending, and their battle will dictate this series.
2. Battle of Depth
What makes both of these teams so dangerous is their ability to create offense from multiple forward lines. It doesn't matter which trio the Hurricanes or Panthers send out, they have full confidence in their ability to gain possession, control the offensive zone, generate scoring chances, and convert.
Just look at each of their team scoring leaders through two rounds. The Panthers have played just 12 games, but have five forwards with at least 10 points already and none of them are named Matthew Tkachuk.
The same can be said for the Hurricanes. Needing just 10 games to advance to the conference finals, Carolina has offense coming from everywhere. Sebastien Aho and Seth Jarvis both have 10 points, Andrei Svechnikov has eight goals, and all but one forward has recorded at least a point so far. The top-tier talent for both teams is overwhelming, but it's likely going to come down to which side's depth comes through to send their side to the Stanley Cup Finals.
3. Stingy Penalty Kills
Another huge factor for these teams' postseason success is their penalty killing. They've been the top two penalty-killing units in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Hurricanes have successfully stopped 93.3% of the power plays against them, while the Panthers have stopped 89.5%. Part of that is goaltending, of course. The other part is their aggressive puck pursuit and ability to win body position battles in the high-danger areas. Which PK unit will bend the most in the conference finals?
More must-reads:
- Canucks believed to have inquired about Predators' Steven Stamkos
- Dream (but realistic) trade targets for every MLB team this offseason
- The 'NFL Passing YPG leaders' quiz
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Stamkos’ Name Pops Up in Canucks Trade Rumors
As the injuries pile up, the Vancouver Canucks continue to seek help down the middle. According to Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK and Donnie and Dhali Show, Vancouver has reportedly inquired about Nashville Predators forward Steven Stamkos. Clearly, this wouldn’t be the easiest deal to make given his no-move clause. However, Stamkos’ year has not gone well and he seemed open to the idea that one never knows where he’ll wind up when speaking to the media following a recent game in Tampa Bay. Stamkos, 35, signed a four-year, $32-million contract with Nashville in 2024 after leaving Tampa Bay as a free agent. He never wanted to play elsewhere, but the Lightning made a tough call and decided not to give him the kind of money free agency would provide. Based on his 2025-26 numbers, it’s looking like the Lightning made a wise decision. While he scored 40 goals in his final Lightning season, his production has dipped with the Predators — just 27 goals and 53 points last season. This year, he’s got just one goal with an assist through 13 games. Trade talk has surrounded him as insiders suggest it’s just not a fit in Nashville. Stamkos talked about wanting to retire there, but didn’t seem to rule out considering options that would make sense as he closes out his NHL run. Are the Canucks A Team That Fit for Stamkos? Vancouver’s tight salary cap — nearly $2.8 million into LTIR — further complicates matters. Any Stamkos deal would likely require Nashville to retain salary, though the Predators have only one retention slot left. If agreed to, the return Nashville might want in exchange would have to be something the Canucks would seriously need to consider. While Stamkos has experience at center and could help Vancouver in that role, there’s a lot of hurdles and what-ifs involved. The Canucks are reportedly “working the phones” and have likely called Nashville. Still, Stamkos has to be on board, the Predators need a return they like, and the Canucks have to believe the veteran can rebound with the right pieces around him.
Did Micah Parsons take jab at the Packers offense?
The Green Bay Packers' decision to trade for Micah Parsons was undeniably a good one. They already had an up-and-coming defense and a stacked offense, and adding a superstar pass-rusher who had yet to reach his physical prime was a no-brainer. However, as great a player as Parsons is, he's also drawn some negative attention for running his mouth a little. It took him nine weeks, but he may have finally given the Packers a taste of that. Micah Parsons takes a subtle jab at the Packers Following the shocking 16-13 home loss to the Carolina Panthers, Parsons pointed out that the defense did a good job of limiting Dave Canales' team. "He threw for 100 yards," Parsons said in the locker room, per Packers beat writer Ryan Wood. “If we lose a game like that in the NFL, we just didn’t play good. Not too many quarterbacks are throwing for 100 yards and winning.” The underlying message there is that someone else didn't do a good job, whether it's head coach Matt LaFleur, who called an over-conservative game again, the offense, Jordan Love, or all of the above. Parsons and the Packers defense held the Panthers to 265 total yards. They picked Bryce Young off once and sacked him once for a loss of eight yards, so he does have a valid point. Then again, given his history of stirring the pot during his days with the Dallas Cowboys, it's hard not to be worried about the toll this might take on his relationship with the organization.
A potential Cowboys Pro Bowl trade target just became available
The Dallas Cowboys have multiple ways in which they could address the defense ahead of the NFL's Nov. 4 trade deadline but fixing the secondary should be at the top of the list. Dallas has Pro Bowl talent at cornerback in Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland but have been devastated by injuries and lack of production, as safeties Donovan Wilson and Malik Hooker have also missed time. Many of the top names linked to the Cowboys ahead of the trade deadline have been edge rushers or linebackers but a notable face has now emerged into the fold as a player Dallas should target. According to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, the Miami Dolphins are "open" to trading safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and that there "has been interest from multiple teams." For the sake of Cowboys fans' sanity, they will be hoping that Dallas is one of the teams interested in the five-time Pro Bowler. Minkah Fitzpatrick Could Fix Major Cowboys Problem If the Cowboys are brave enough to make a move to acquire Fitzpatrick, he could help bolster a safety room that has made headlines for the wrong reasons this season. In Week 8's loss to the Denver Broncos, the Cowboys went as far as to give undrafted cornerback Reddy Steward his first-career NFL snaps at safety in a last-ditch effort after Aljiah Clark joined the aforementioned Wilson and Hooker as safeties on the roster dealing with injuries. Fitzpatrick would bring a veteran presence to Dallas while also providing continued production. At age 28, it's likely he is past his prime but has still managed to post 50 total tackles (36 solo), one fumble recovery, one interception and seven pass breakups in nine games this season. The Cowboys will host the Arizona Cardinals on Monday night but should stay busy on the phones, especially with the Dolphins. — Sign up for the Cowboys Daily Digest newsletter for more free coverage from Dallas Cowboys on SI — Cowboys' final Week 9 injury report lists 6 players out, including 3 starters on D 3 keys to victory for Dallas Cowboys in pivotal Week 9 matchup vs. Cardinals 3 under-the-radar candidates Cowboys must consider at NFL trade deadline Cowboys secondary catches lucky break with major Cardinals injury news Cowboys-Cardinals live stream options amid ESPN-YouTube TV dispute Meet Camille Sturdivant: Star of Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader Netflix docuseries
Three wild statistics about the 2025 World Series you may not know
The 2025 World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays will go down as one of the best seven-game Fall Classics in history. Won in extra innings by the Dodgers on Saturday night, this year's World Series had plenty of wild moments and memorable performances. However, there were also some things that happened during this year's World Series that were historic but also didn't make as many headlines as Yoshinobu Yamamoto's MVP pitching or Will Smith's World Series-winning home run. With that in mind, here are three things that will add this year's World Series to the baseball record books. This 2025 World Series was just like ... 1926? Sure, this year's World Series went seven games. However, the pattern of wins between Toronto and Los Angeles was unlike anything seen in the Fall Classic since the St. Louis Cardinals beat the New York Yankees in seven games in 1926. Per Elias, the 2025 World Series was just the second-ever World Series to follow the path of the home team winning Game 1, road team winning Game 2, home team winning Game 3, and the road team winning Games 4 through 7, joining the Cardinals and Yankees 1926. The Dodgers player made headlines and history Los Angeles outfielder Justin Dean was in the middle of one of the most talked about plays of Game 6 when he signaled to the umpires that Addison Barger's hit to left-center in the ninth inning was wedged under the wall. With that signal, the umpires ruled it to be a dead ball, keeping Barger to a double and preventing Myles Straw from scoring from first base (he was held at third with the dead ball call). That decision kept the Los Angeles lead at 3-1, which would be the final as Tyler Glasnow worked his way out of the jam to record the save. Dean being put into the game for defensive purposes happened more than you might have thought during not only the World Series but the entire postseason as well. The 28-year-old Dean appeared in 12 games this postseason but did not register a plate appearance, entering a defensive replacement in center field 10 times and as a pinch-runner twice. His 12 games played during the postseason are the most ever in a single postseason without any plate appearances (among non-pitchers), surpassing the previous record of 10 games without a plate appearance by Clay Bellinger in 2000. Bellinger appeared in 11 games for the Yankees in 2000, getting a hit in his lone plate appearance. Hitting home runs? It's an international thing. Trailing 4-3 in the ninth inning of Game 7, Miguel Rojas of the Dodgers launched a game-tying home run, marking the 10th home run of the World Series hit by an internationally born player. Also joining Rojas as a player born outside the United States to hit a homer during the Fall Classic were Shohei Ohtani (three homers), Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (two), Alejandro Kirk (two), Enrique Hernandez (one) and Teoscar Hernandez (one). Per Elias, the 10 home runs are the most in a single World Series by internationally born players, breaking a tie with 2017 and 2019, which had nine each.
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