Panthers eliminate Hurricanes, advance to 3rd straight Cup Final

The Florida Panthers are heading to their third consecutive Stanley Cup Final after a dramatic 5-3 win over the Carolina Hurricanes in Wednesday's Game 5.

Carter Verhaeghe netted the game-winning goal with 7:39 left in the third period, finishing off a superb setup from Aleksander Barkov.

Sam Bennett iced the game with an empty-netter after the Panthers killed off a Hurricanes power play. Florida's penalty kill went 5-for-5 in Game 5.

The Panthers trailed 2-0 in the second period before storming back with goals from Matthew Tkachuk, Evan Rodrigues, and Anton Lundell in a 4:36 span. Hurricanes forward Seth Jarvis tied the contest in the third before Verhaeghe's go-ahead tally.

Florida will look to defend its title after beating the Edmonton Oilers last year to capture the franchise's first Stanley Cup. The Oilers currently own a 3-1 series lead in the Western Conference Final against the Dallas Stars.

If the Oilers advance, it would be the first back-to-back Cup Final rematch since the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins in 2008 and 2009.

The Cup Final will begin June 4 if Edmonton wins Thursday's Game 5, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman. Should the Stars force a Game 6, the Final will reportedly start June 7.

The Panthers are the second consecutive team - and just the second in the last 40 years - to reach three straight Stanley Cup Finals following the Tampa Bay Lightning's run from 2020-22.