5 – 2 (F): Are we trending towards the Florida Panthers becoming the first back-to-back Stanley Cup Champions in the NHL since the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016/2017? Due to Matthew TKachuk unlikely to be close to 100% again this postseason, I’ll slightly lean Edmonton or Dallas next round, but very hard to see the Panthers not getting back to the Cup Final for a third straight year. The Eastern Conference Finals were going to be an uphill battle for the Carolina Hurricanes from the start and Game 1 proved that in a big way. Florida is really hitting their stride and it’s going to be a daunting series for Carolina to now win four of six. Bigger question might be does the series even go beyond 5 games?