The Florida Panthers missed on their first chance to eliminate the Carolina Hurricanes and return to the Stanley Cup Final for the third straight year.
Closing out a playoff series isn't easy, even for the reigning Cup champions.
The Panthers are just 4-7 in series-clinching games over the past two seasons entering Wednesday night's visit to Carolina for Game 5 of the Eastern Conference final . That includes Monday's 3-0 home loss with a chance to sweep the Hurricanes in this round for the second time in three seasons.
Florida is 1-2 in closeout games this year, losing at home to Toronto in Game 6 of a second-round series before winning Game 7 on the road. It is trying to become the ninth franchises in NHL history to reach the Stanley Cup Final in three or more consecutive seasons.
The Hurricanes' season-extending win in Game 4 ended a 15-game losing streak in a conference final, a run going back to sweeps in 2009, 2019 and the 2023 loss to Florida.