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Hurricanes' Sebastian Aho Raises Eyebrows With Panthers Series Comments

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Matt Levine | Last updated May 20, 2025 3:44 PM ET

The Carolina Hurricanes are looking to do something against the Florida Panthers that previous teams haven't been able to do: win a game in the Eastern Conference Final. Carolina has reached the conference final two times over the past few years, and they have been swept each time.

But heading into this series, the Hurricanes believe that the previous experience should help things be much smoother.

"Those past experiences, I think those will only help us in this case because we've had some experience with this group," Carolina center Sebastian Aho said. "Obviously, we have some new additions that have been unbelievable for us, but definitely experience helps with what we've been through with this group."

Under head coach Rod Brind'Amour, the Hurricanes have been dominant in the playoffs, but something seems to change come the conference finals. Nobody is really sure what that is, but the team is looking to bury the past results behind them.

Carolina has been great at home this postseason, going 5-0. The team holds home-ice advantage entering the series, so the confidence level is through the roof right now.

The Hurricanes were also tied for the best record at home during the regular season, giving more juice to this thought. But they have been extra dominant in the playoffs, outscoring opponents 21-8 in the five games.

But the Hurricanes know that playing the defending champions will be a test, one that the team seems to be embracing.

"It's probably going to be a play here or there, a player here or there that finds a way to do something a little special. I think who can stick to the game plan and not deviate. Both teams play very similar and have the same I think thought process in how they go about it. We understand that. They do it better than anybody. We also understand that. That's the battle.", Brind'Amour said.

If Carolina can get the series started with a win, it could show that this year may be different. Game 1 is set to begin at 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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