How the Florida Panthers weathered the Hurricanes, and why a Stanley Cup ring is next

The Florida Panthers were able to pounce on the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final, punching their ticket to a third straight Stanley Cup Final appearance -- and there's an argument to be made that a back-to-back Stanley Cup championship is next.

The Hurricanes deployed the same style of hockey that was so effective through the first two rounds. Against teams like the Devils and Capitals, it was a nearly unstoppable formula. But the Panthers were able to find the weaknesses in that gameplan.

Armed with the skill and experience to beat even the toughest of opponents, here's how the Panthers defeated the Canes and why the team is going to be unwavering in the quest for the Cup.

Outsmarting the system

Carolina built its brand on stubborn, shutdown hockey. The Canes generally carry the puck with ease and protect it well. That usually results in clean zone entries and efficient cycles in the offensive zone, oftentimes leading to scoring chances.

But the Panthers found a way around that: prevent them from setting up shop and limit shots to less favorable areas of the ice. The Hurricanes are a high-volume team, but were outshot 25-17 from high-danger areas and outscored 7-3 in that situation.

Being able to play in the dirty areas made a world of difference in getting around Carolina's defense. The Panthers currently lead the NHL with 39 goals scored from high-danger areas. The team's speed and ability to play the body allows the ice to open up greatly and helps pave the path to the front of the net, where they have so much success.

Take a look at the heatmap from this series, which shows the areas of the ice where most shots and goals were produced. Florida scored 12 of its 21 goals from the slot, with 10 of those coming on the goalie's doorstep.

For a team that's notoriously dominant five-on-five, the Hurricanes really struggled to generate any offense. In the first three games, Carolina's only even strength goal was a funky bounce that deflected off of a skate and in. By the end of the series, the Canes only managed five tallies at 5v5. The Panthers absolutely excelled in this regard, lighting the lamp 15 times in that scenario.

Despite Carolina's generally strong possession numbers, the Panthers were too fast and relentless. Any turnover or missed pass was a threat; Florida was able to jump at seemingly every opportunity and convert it into a scoring chance or zone entry.

Between the physicality, ability to capitalize on mistakes, and proficiency in grabbing loose pucks, the Panthers skated circles around the Hurricanes during this series.

Shutting down the Canes' stars

The lack of goals scored by the Hurricanes is explained in part by the way its top skaters were shut down for majority of the series, something that will prove to be important against the Oilers as well.

The Panthers defense was simply too formidable for the Hurricanes to get around. The top pairing of Gustav Forsling and Aaron Ekblad has a Corsi-for of 59.1% when skating together, which puts them in the top five among any duo in the league. Florida has a shot differential of +32 with those guys on the ice, showing their contributions offensively as well as their efficient puck movement which allows the team to generate opportunities.

Carolina is a team that relies on its entire roster to chip in, but as with any team, the star players have to contribute the most. Andrei Svechnikov was held without a goal the entire series, and while Sebastian Aho did finish with five points, three came in the last two games when the Canes were already on the brink of elimination. Too little, too late.

Meanwhile, Florida has its headliners spearheading the team's offense. The top line of Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett, and Carter Verhaeghe scored eight goals and totalled 20 points between the three of them. Not only that, but 13 different players hit the back of the net during the series against the Hurricanes.