A five-goal flurry in the third period swayed the game to the Panthers, who remain on track to defend their Stanley Cup championship.

The Carolina Hurricanes and Florida Panthers meet in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final in the Stanley Cup Playoffs Monday at Amerant Bank Arena.

Florida Panthers defenseman Niko Mikkola (77) skates off the ice after suffering an injury during the third period of Game 3 in the Eastern Conference Final against the Carolina Hurricanes, Saturday, May 24, 2025, at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Fla. David Santiago dsantiago@miamiherald.com

The Florida Panthers are getting healthy, including Sam Reinhart, as they try to close out their series vs. the Carolina Hurricanes.

Carter Verhaeghe signed an eight-year extension after leading Florida with 11 goals in the 2024 postseason and 72 points in the regular season, following up that campaign with his fourth consecutive 20-goal season in 2024-25. Verhaeghe logged eight points (4-4-8) through two rounds in the 2025 postseason.

The Panthers have routed the Hurricanes and Maple Leafs in their last four playoff games, causing opposing fans to boo their own team and leave games early.

Before he scored midway through the first period of the Florida Panthers’ eventual 5-0 rout of the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference final, the star winger had gone 10 consecutive games in these Stanley Cup playoffs without a goal — a number that caught captain Aleksander Barkov and coach Paul Maurice by surprise.

The Florida Panthers delivered a masterclass in postseason hockey in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final. This shut out the Carolina Hurricanes 5-0, with key contributions from Sam Bennett and Carter Verhaeghe.