The Florida Panthers are right back in the mix, and yeah, it’s getting spicy again. They had their broom out, ready to sweep up the Hurricanes for the second time in three years, but Carolina wasn’t ready to be dusted just yet. Monday night’s 3-0 loss at home? Yeah, that one stung a little. But hey, closing out a playoff series ain’t no walk in the park, even for the reigning champs. The Panthers roll into Game 5 with a mixed bag of closeout mojo: 6 wins, 7 losses over the past two seasons, including a little déjà vu from their road battles this year. From shutting down Tampa in Game 5 to pulling off a Game 7 heart-thumper against Toronto, they’ve been all over the drama map. And now? They’re back in Raleigh where they’ve already dunked the ‘Canes twice with a savage 10-2 combined score.
But hold up. Don’t count out the Hurricanes just yet. Game 4 was their little moment of revival, snapping a brutal 15-game L-streak in conference finals history that went all the way back to 2009. And now, with their backs against the wall (again), they’re trying to channel that comeback magic from last year’s 0-3 rally. Still, let’s not ignore the big news out of Florida’s camp; multiple big-name Panthers are skating back into action, just in time to throw even more heat into the fire. So yeah, Carolina’s rocking that ‘best home team’ badge from the regular season, but with Florida getting healthier and hungrier, it’s starting to feel like the storm might finally run out of rain.
Just before the Game 5 puck hit the ice, Jameson Olive (the digital wizard behind the Panthers’ content game) hopped on X and dropped some lineup heat straight from the locker room vibes. And yup, it’s lookin’ locked and loaded. With a little flourish and flair, he posted the lineup with the caption: “#FlaPanthers lines for Game 5 Rodrigues – Barkov – Reinhart. Verhaeghe – Bennett – Tkachuk. Luostarinen – Lundell – Marchand. Greer – Nosek – Gadjovich. Forsling – Ekblad. Mikkola – Jones Schmidt – Kulikov. Bobrovsky Vanecek,” now that’s a recipe for playoff drama if we’ve ever seen one.
#FlaPanthers lines for Game 5
Rodrigues – Barkov – Reinhart
Verhaeghe – Bennett – Tkachuk
Luostarinen – Lundell – Marchand
Greer – Nosek – Gadjovich
Forsling – Ekblad
Mikkola – Jones
Schmidt – Kulikov
Bobrovsky
Vanecek
— Jameson Olive (@JamesonCoop) May 28, 2025
And guess who’s back in the mix? Oh yeah; none other than the big guns: Sam Reinhart, A.J. Greer, and Niko Mikkola! Panthers fans can take a big ol’ sigh of relief ‘cause Coach Paul Maurice gave the all-clear after Wednesday’s morning skate, just in time for Game 5 down in Carolina. It’s like the cavalry rolled in with fresh legs and unfinished business.
Reinhart’s been sitting out ever since that nasty low shot from Sebastian Aho in Game 2, and both Mikkola and Greer picked up their bumps and bruises during that gritty Game 3 dub. They all had to watch Game 4 from the sidelines; yeah, that tough 3-0 L, but now? They’re strapping back in and ready to shake things up again.
This story is developing….
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