The Florida Panthers have a 1-0 series lead over the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final. Just two days after winning Game 7 in Toronto in blowout fashion, the Panthers smothered the Hurricanes with a 5-2 win in Game 1.

Florida Panthers Coach Paul Maurice said he "didn't love" his team's play despite a 5-2 thrashing of the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals.

Florida began the Eastern Conference Final in the Stanley Cup playoffs with a 5-2 victory, adding to its success from 2023.

Florida Panthers (47-31-4, in the Atlantic Division) vs. Carolina Hurricanes (47-30-5, in the Metropolitan Division)

After a dominant 6-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 7 of the second round, the Florida Panthers' offense kept rolling into the Eastern Conference Finals.

Just 48 hours after beating Toronto in Game 7, Florida became the first team in these playoffs to win in Carolina.

After Florida’s 5-2 win against the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final on Tuesday at Raleigh’s Lenovo Center, the Panthers are 6-2 in road games this postseason. They have outscored opponents by 20 goals (38-18) on the road.

One play in particular stood out among some fans. Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad was seen delivering a rather vicious elbow straight to the head of an unsuspecting Jackson Blake, though Ekblad was not issued a penalty for the incident.