Matthew Tkachuk, Panthers Beat Hurricanes as NHL Fans Eye 2nd Straight Stanley Cup Win

For a third consecutive season, the Florida Panthers are on their way to the Stanley Cup Finals.

The Panthers erased an early 2-0 deficit to win Game 5 against the Carolina Hurricanes 5-3 on Wednesday, closing out the Eastern Conference Finals series.

Carolina seemed poised to extend the series after two early goals from Sebastian Aho, but Florida quickly erased that lead and made it 3-2 thanks to second-period goals from Matthew Tkachuk, Evan Rodrigues and Anton Lundell.

The Hurricanes tied it up in the third when Seth Jarvis scored, but Carter Verhaeghe responded with the go-ahead goal. An open-net goal in the final minute from Florida's Sam Bennett sealed the win.

Panthers fans are thrilled to be heading back to the Stanley Cup Finals.

The Panthers found some success early in their existence as a franchise, but they spent much of the last two decades struggling. After reaching the Stanley Cup Finals in 1996, Florida failed to get back to that position until two years ago, when it lost to the Vegas Golden Knights.

At long last, the Panthers won their first championship in a hard-fought seven-game series against the Edmonton Oilers last year. Now, they'll get the chance to make it two in a row.

Aside from a loss in Game 4, it was pure dominance for Florida for the rest of the series. The Panthers won the first three games of the series by three goals or more, including a 5-0 route in Game 2.

Things might not be as easy in the Finals as they'll meet either the Oilers or Dallas Stars, both talented teams, but for now, they can relish a third consecutive Eastern Conference Finals win.