The Panthers earned it — the game and the expected-goals battle both.
Florida's 5–2 rout masked a nearly even underlying game. The Hurricanes generated 2.81 expected goals to the Panthers' 3.28—close enough that the final margin should have been one or two goals. Instead, goaltending widened it: S. Bobrovsky gave up 0.81 fewer goals than expected while F. Andersen gave up 1.72 more.
The shot pattern confirmed the competitive nature. Carolina held 46% of shot attempts (19–22 on goal) while the xG split finished 46–54%. High-danger chances were deadlocked at 4–4, yet save percentages told the full story—Andersen's 0.773 against Bobrovsky's 0.895 turned a close contest into a convincing win.
Florida's offensive edge came off the rush. The Panthers converted twice on 22 rush chances; Carolina managed two on 28, the type of efficiency variance that balloons a tight game. The Hurricanes created five rebound opportunities but converted none—crashing the net effectively without result, the kind of luck that separates winners from the rest.
S. Reinhart orchestrated the attack with three assists in 18:24. A. Ekblad contributed two assists over 21:11, his impact felt across all three zones. E. Luostarinen logged two assists in 16:30, a secondary contributor in Florida's balanced offensive display.
Seth Jones's wrist shot from a sharp angle (15:21, third period) marked the turning point—the moment momentum became irreversible.
Final: FLA 5 – CAR 2