Clamping down on defense and erupting on offense in the third period, the Panthers pulled away for a 6-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final. The win gave Florida a 3-0 series lead and a chance to clinch a second straight Stanley Cup Final appearance on home ice.

The Panthers scored five goals in an explosive third period, beating the Hurricanes in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference final and putting Carolina on the brink of elimination.

It’s cliche to say that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts, but in this instance, it’s a great example of exactly that.’

Sam Reinhart will not play for the Florida Panthers in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals against Carolina on Saturday night because of a left knee injury, one that happened Thursday when he was skated into by the Hurricanes' Sebastian Aho.

The Florida Panthers are heading to the Eastern Conference Final for the third consecutive season after blowing out the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-1 in Game 7 at Scotiabank Arena on Sunday.The Panthers will play the Carolina Hurricanes in the East Final for a shot at advancing to their third straight Stanley Cup Final.

The Carolina Hurricanes switched goalies for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals, starting Pyotr Kochetkov in net against the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers