3 standout Florida Panthers players from impressive 5-1 win over Hurricanes in ECF Game 1 ft. Sergei Bobrovsky

The Florida Panthers did not break a sweat in their Game 1 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday night at PNC Arena.

The Cats built a 5-1 lead in the third period, as they continued rolling after their 6-1 thrashing of the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 7 two nights before.

Carter Verhaeghe (PPG), Aaron Ekblad, A.J. Greer, Sam Bennett (PPG), and Eetu Luostarinen scored for the Florida Panthers. Sebastian Aho and Jackson Blake got the tallies for the Carolina Hurricanes.

So, here’s a look at three standout Florida Panthers players from their Game 1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday night.

3 standout Florida Panthers players from Game 1 over Carolina Hurricanes

#3 Evan Rodrigues

One of the players who had gone cold for the Florida Panthers was Evan Rodrigues. But in Game 1 against Carolina, Rodrigues notched two assists on two fantastic plays to get back on the scoresheet.

Rodrigues did a great job of picking up the puck following a Carolina turnover and feeding Ekblad for the goal.

With the Cats on the power play, Rodrigues circled the puck, leaving it to Sam Bennett, who beat Frederik Andersen from beyond the face-off circle.

The replay showed how Rodrigues dropped the puck and then headed to the front of the net to screen the Hurricanes’ goalie. The play worked, and the Panthers got a 4-1 lead.

#2 Carter Verhaeghe

Carter Verhaeghe had a great Game 1 for the Florida Panthers, notching a goal and an assist in nearly 13 minutes of ice time. While he wasn’t on the ice for very long, he made his time count.

Verhaeghe opened the scoring with a power-play goal in the first period. Here’s a look:

Verhaeghe took a great pass from Matthew Tkachuk in tight. Then, he fought off Canes defenseman Dmitry Orlov and backhanded the puck past Andersen for the game’s opening goal.

#1 Sergei Bobrovsky

Sergei Bobrovsky made 31 saves on the night. He was sharp and did not show any sign of fatigue after coming off a seven-game series against Toronto.

Bobrovsky’s performance earned him the game’s first star, setting the tone for what could be a short series, much like it was the last time the Panthers and Hurricanes met in 2023.

The Panthers will be looking to take a 2-0 series lead on Thursday night before heading back home for Games 3 and 4 in Florida.

About the author

Nestor is an NHL and MLB writer at Sportskeeda with over 10 years of experience. Growing up in Toronto, he became an avid Maple Leafs and Blue Jays fan, but also admires the New York Islanders and Los Angeles Dodgers for their dominance in the 80s. Holding an Economics and Education major, Nestor’s passion for writing and sporting events led him to take up reporting about the sport professionally.

Nestor credits the Leafs’ playoff runs in the early '90s as having a lasting impact on him. His favorite players are Doug Gilmour and Mike Bossy, as he feels they were tough, talented leaders, while Pat Burns is his favorite coach of all time for always preaching a fast-paced game.

Growing up in Canada, it was natural for Nestor to become interested in ice hockey and he played Minor Hockey as a teenager, which has given him a unique perspective on the sport. Nestor has mastered the art of how to best present facts and he also has a knack for knowing which sources can be trusted, and which can't for stories.

When he is not writing about Canada’s national passion, Nestor enjoys running and hiking.

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