2025 Stanley Cup Playoff Preview: Carolina Hurricanes vs. Florida Panthers

In the 2020s, the NHL playoffs have been headlined by teams playing with a mix of skill and size playing high-pressure forecheck-heavy games and sacrificing making clean plays with the puck to focus on chipping and chasing. No two teams exemplify that style like the defending champions, the Florida Panthers, and their challengers the Carolina Hurricanes. Both have plenty of talent on the roster but surround it with structure and a team-wide commitment to doing the hard work to exert maximum pressure on opponents at all times, and they've been rewarded with a another meeting in the Eastern Conference Final.

The game the Canes play takes a heavy toll, and for years observers have wondered whether keeping up that pace throughout an 82-game season and long playoff rounds might lead them to run