We are now twenty thirty one days into the Stanley Cup Playoffs. After a few days off, the action is back today. The Eastern Conference Finals start today. Game one of the Carolina Hurricanes and Florida Panthers will be today. Game one of the Western Conference Finals between the Vegas Golden Knights and Dallas Stars will be tomorrow. The winners of these series will face off for the Stanley Cup. A southern United States team in guaranteed to win the Stanley Cup. This is the southern most final four in National Hockey League history. the Vegas Golden Knights are the north most team still in the playoffs. It will have to be at least another year for a Canadian team to win the cup. It has been thirty years since a Canadian team has won the cup.
The number two seed Carolina Hurricanes will play the number eight seed Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Carolina Hurricanes beat the New York Islanders in round one. They won that series 4-2. The Carolina Hurricanes beat the New Jersey Devils in round two. They won that series 4-1. The Florida Panthers beat the Presidents Trophy winning, record setting Boston Bruins in round one. They won that series 4-3. The Florida Panthers beat the Toronto Maple Leafs in round two. They won that series 4-1.
The Hurricanes had a win percentage of .689 in the regular season. The Panthers finished the regular season with a .561 win percentage. The Hurricanes had a regular season record of 2-1-0 against the Panthers. Both teams did get a shutout against each other during their regular season series. Their last meeting was on April 13th. Carolina won that game 4-6.
The Hurricanes have been a tough team so far in the playoffs. The Panthers are still rolling off of the momentum of beating the Boston Bruins in round one. The Hurricanes have not been dominating teams like the Panthers have but it should still be a good series. I think the Hurricanes will put up more of a fight than the Maple Leafs were able too. The main question on my mind heading into this series is can the Panthers continue to play at the same level? The other question I have is how much better will the Hurricanes be then the Bruins or Maple Leafs?
2023 regular season head to head record:
| GP | W | L | OTL | PTS | GF | GA | GD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carolina | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 7 | 3 |
| Florida | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 10 | -3 |
2023 regular season record:
| GP | W | L | OTL | PTS | GF | GA | GD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carolina | 82 | 52 | 21 | 9 | 113 | 266 | 213 | 53 |
| Florida | 82 | 42 | 32 | 8 | 92 | 290 | 273 | 17 |
2023 playoff season record after round one:
| GP | W | L | OTL | GF | GA | GD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carolina | 11 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 37 | 25 | 2 |
| Florida | 12 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 40 | 36 | 4 |
Game one of this series will be on Thursday, May 18th, 2023. Game one will be in Carolina. Puck drop is set for 5:00pm PST. The winner of this series will play the winner of the Western Conference Finals in the Stanley Cup Finals.
The number one seed Vegas Golden Knights will play the number four seed Dallas Stars in the Western Conference Finals. The Vegas Golden Knights beat the Winnipeg Jets in round one. They won that series 4-1. The Vegas Golden Knights beat the Edmonton Oilers in round two. They won that series 4-2. The Dallas Stars beat the Minnesota Wild in round one. They won that series 4-2. The Dallas Stars beat the Seattle Kraken in round two. They won that series 4-3.
The Golden Knights finished the regular season with a .677 win percentage. The Stars finished the regular season with a .659 win percentage. The Stars had a regular season record of 3-0-0 against the Golden Knights. Their last meeting was on April 8th. The Stars won that game 2-1 in overtime.
The Golden Knights have managed to be a threat here in the playoffs. That comes despite having goal tending issues. They have gotten around those issues to get to where they are now. The Stars had an easier opponent in round one. They barely managed to beat the Seattle Kraken. I think the Golden Knights might be too much for the Stars. Will the Golden Knights goal tender issues be too much for them to over come? Can the Stars find the same success they had over the Golden Knights in the regular season?
2023 regular season head to head record:
| GP | W | L | OTL | PTS | GF | GA | GD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vegas | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 4 |
| Dallas | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 | -4 |
2023 regular season record:
| GP | W | L | OTL | PTS | GF | GA | GD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vegas | 82 | 51 | 22 | 9 | 111 | 272 | 229 | 43 |
| Dallas | 82 | 47 | 21 | 14 | 108 | 285 | 218 | 67 |
2023 playoff season record after round one:
| GP | W | L | OTL | GF | GA | GD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vegas | 11 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 41 | 29 | 12 |
| Dallas | 13 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 45 | 40 | 5 |
Game one of this series will be on Friday, May 19th, 2023. Game one will be in Las Vegas. Puck drop is set for 5:30pm PST. The winner of this series will play the winner of the Eastern Conference Finals in the Stanley Cup Finals.
Game of of the Eastern Conference Finals is tonight. Will the Carolina Hurricanes bring the storm? Will the Florida Panthers bring the same level of play and energy they have since round one?
The Vegas Golden Knights, Carolina Hurricanes, Dallas Stars, Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers, Florida Panthers, Seattle Kraken, and New Jersey Devils advanced to round two. The Winnipeg Jets, New York Islanders, Minnesota Wild, Tampa Bay Lightning, Los Angeles Kings, Boston Bruins, Colorado Avalanche, and New York Rangers were eliminated in round one.
The Carolina Hurricanes and Florida Panthers advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals. The Vegas Golden Knights and Dallas Stars advanced to the Western Conference Finals. The New Jersey Devils, Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers, and Seattle Kraken have been eliminated in round two.
The Carolina Hurricanes are playing the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Vegas Golden Knights are playing the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference Finals.
Zac Electrifly 