Overview

• Carter Verhaeghe’s third-period tally off an Aleksander Barkov feed broke a 3-3 tie to secure the Panthers’ 5-3 Game 5 victory.
• After Sebastian Aho’s two first-period goals gave Carolina a 2-0 advantage, Florida responded with three consecutive second-period strikes from Matthew Tkachuk, Evan Rodrigues and Anton Lundell.
• Florida closed out the Eastern Conference final with the 5-3 win to claim the series 4-1 and swept all three contests in Raleigh.
• The Panthers became the ninth franchise in NHL history to reach three consecutive Stanley Cup Finals as they defend last season’s championship.
• They will face the winner of the Western Conference final, where Edmonton holds a 3-1 series lead over Dallas.