Marchand's shenanigans, Andersen vs Bobrovsky: Biggest storylines entering Panthers vs Hurricanes Eastern Conference Finals 

The Carolina Hurricanes are set to take on the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Hurricanes and Panthers met in the Conference Finals two seasons ago, and Carolina was swept. Now, ahead of Game 1 on May 20, here are five storylines to follow for this series.

Top 5 storylines for Hurricanes vs Panthers

#1, Marchand's antics and Panthers' controversial hits

Florida has been accused of being a dirty team as they injured Brandon Hagel and Anthony Stolarz in back-to-back series.

Entering this series, all eyes will once again be on the likes of Brad Marchand, who is known for his antics of making some cheap plays or dragging players into fights.

Sam Bennett and Aaron Ekblad are also known to make controversial hits, so whether or not that happens in the Eastern Conference Finals is to be seen.

#2, Goalie battle

Florida and Carolina are in the Eastern Conference Finals in large part due to their offense.

The Panthers are led by Sergei Bobrovsky, who is capable of single-handedly winning series for teams. In these playoffs, he's 8-4 with a 2.31 GAA and a .901 SV%.

Andersen, meanwhile, when healthy, has been dominant. However, his health is a major question. But, in the playoffs, he's 7-2 with a 1.36 GAA and a .937 SV%.

Goals will be hard to come by in this series, and whoever wins could simply come down to which goalie makes the extra save.

#3, Is Florida closing in on being a dynasty?

Florida is the reigning Stanley Cup champions- Source: Imagn

The Florida Panthers are the reigning Stanley Cup champions and are looking to advance to their third-straight Stanley Cup.

The Panthers lost to the Vegas Golden Knights two years ago and beat the Edmonton Oilers last season. If Florida can get back to the Cup Final for the third straight year and win back-to-back years, they would be closing in on a dynasty.

The thought is you need to win three championships in a group to be a dynasty, but Florida is suddenly closing in on it.

#4, Can Carolina exact revenge?

The Carolina Hurricanes were swept by the Florida Panthers two years ago when they met in the Confernece Finals.

After the series, the quote that went viral was Rod Brind'Amour saying it wasn't a true sweep because two games went to OT and every game was a one-goal game.

However, Carolina couldn't get any wins and now the Hurricanes are looking to exact revenge and finally get over the hump to make the Cup Final.

#5, Winner of series will likely be underdog in Cup Final

Whoever wins the Eastern Conference Finals will likely be the underdog in the Stanley Cup Final.

The Edmonton Oilers are playing the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference Finals, and whoever wins that series will likely be favored to win the Cup.

So, whoever wins this series can go into the Cup Final with a chip on their shoulder of being counted out.