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Florida Panthers/ Carolina Hurricanes Game 3: Injuries, Lineups, More

By Richard Jelinek

RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA - MAY 20: Sergei Bobrovsky #72 of the Florida Panthers celebrates with his teammates after defeating the Carolina Hurricanes in overtime of Game Two of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs at PNC Arena on May 20, 2023 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA - MAY 20: Sergei Bobrovsky #72 of the Florida Panthers celebrates with his teammates after defeating the Carolina Hurricanes in overtime of Game Two of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs at PNC Arena on May 20, 2023 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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The Florida Panthers have a chance to go up 3-0 in the ECF against the Carolina Hurricanes. The Panthers have been the story of the playoffs and look to keep their winning streak going. Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk has been on fire, scoring two game winning goals. Does Carolina have a bounce back game in game 3, or does Florida put a stranglehold on the series?

Florida Panthers playing with house money

Carolina has a chance on the road

The Hurricanes have played well enough to have a win in the series. They have played well enough at home but games 3 and 4 of this series are on the road. In the 2023 NHL playoffs, The Canes are only 3-2 on the road, yet it is still a winning record. This may be the perfect time to play relaxed hockey on the road, without the nervousness of the home crowd. The Canes have a chance to take the Florida crowd out early by either controlling the play or scoring an early goal.

Florida led by Tkachuk and Sergei Bobrovksy

Panthers forward Tkachuk and goaltender Bobrovsky have led the way for the Panthers this postseason.  Tkachuk is third in playoff scoring with 18 points in seven goals and 11 assists. He has a +12 rating and has 22 penalty minutes. Bobrovsky leads all goaltenders in the 2023 NHL playoffs in wins (9) and saves (433). He is tied for second with a save percentage of .931.

Stop the Florida power play

The Hurricanes have the best penalty kill unit in the 2023 NHL playoffs at 88.9%. However, the Panthers sixth best power play at 25.7%. Currently, the Panthers are 1-6 in the first two games but are up 2-0 in the series. This is the one strong suit for Carolina and something they have controlled in both games. The Canes need to stay disciplined on the penalty kill because that system is still working. If Florida gets going on the power play, the Canes could see their chance to play for Lord Stanley be put on hold.

Scoring chances not an issue for either team

The Hurricanes and Panthers have both played similar games so far in the ECF. Not a lot of scoring but the play has been wide open. In the playoffs, Florida is giving up 37.6 shots per game, while the Hurricanes are close to that average at taking 36.1 shots per game. Bobrovsky and Carolina goaltender Frederik Andersen have both played elite hockey between the pipes, stopping most of the chances that come their way. There has been no shortage of scoring chances in this series as both teams have exploited the weaknesses in the opposing defenses.

Carolina forwards need to step up

The Hurricanes have team speed as one of their elite traits. That speed accounts for most of their scoring chances off of their transition game. Carolina has had chances to put the puck past Bobrovsky but he has been a brick wall. Three Canes players have to step up in this series in order for the Hurricanes to have a chance. Stefan Noesen (8 points), Martin Necas (7 points), and Jesperi Kotkaniemi (6 points) have to start contributing on the offensive end. Teammate Sebastian Aho cannot score himself the further the Canes play into the playoffs.

Projected Lineups for the Florida Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes

Florida Panthers

Carter Verhaeghe- Aleksander Barkov- Anthony Duclair

Nick Cousins- Sam Bennett- Matthew Tkachuk

Eetu Luostarinen- Anton Lundell- Sam Reinhart

Ryan Lomberg- Eric Staal- Colin White

Gustav Forsling- Aaron Ekblad

Marc Staal-Brandon Montour

Josh Mahura- Radko Gudas

Sergei Bobrovsky- Alex Lyon

Injuries: Patric Hornqvist (concussion)

Scratched: Zac Dalpe, Givani Smith, Mike Benning, Casey Fitzgerald, Evan Fitzpatrick, Lucas Carlsson, Mack Guzda, Matt Kierstad, Grigori Denisenko, Aleksi Heponiemi, Mackie Samoskevich, Connor BUnnamen, Paterick Giles, John Ludvig, Santtu KInnunen, Calle Sjalin

Carolina Hurricanes

Stefan Noesen- Sebastian Aho- Seth Jarvis

Jordan Martinook- Jesperi Kotkaniemi- Jesper Fast

Teuvo Teravainen- Jordan Staal- Martin Necas

Jack Drury- Paul Stastny- Mackenzie MacEachern

Jaccob Slavin- Brent Burns

Brady Skeji- Brett Pesce

Shayne Gostisbehere- Jalen Chatfield

frederik Andersen- Antti Raanta

Injuries: none

Scratched: Jesse Puljujarvi, Derek Stephan, Calvin de Haan, Dylan Coghlan, Pyotr Kochetkov, Ville Koivunen, Vasily Ponomarev, Jamieson Rees, Ryan Suzuki, Maxime Lajoie, Zach Sawchenko

Lineups via nhl.com

Where to watch: ESPN, ESPN2, TBS, TNT

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