Carter Verhaeghe and Aaron Ekblad scored two tone-setting first-period goals while Sergei Bobrovsky remained strong in net as the reigning Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers beat the Carolina Hurricanes 5-2 in Tuesday night’s opener of their Eastern Conference final series.

On tonight's show, Katie Gaus and Michael Augello react to the Florida Panthers beating the Carolina Hurricanes 5-2 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final.

The Cup champion Panthers opened the Eastern Conference final with a 5-2 victory over the Hurricanes in Game 1.

The Florida Panthers visit the Toronto Maple Leafs for Game 7 of their Eastern Conference semifinals series Sunday.

Referee Chris Rooney, who was hit in the face with a hockey stick during the Florida Panthers-Toronto Maple Leafs series, is doing well and hopes to return to work the NHL playoffs, a league source told UPI on Tuesday.

Gary Townsend was bored during COVID-19 and wanted to find fun activities in South Florida when he stumbled upon Panthers tickets.

Anyone who has been invested in the National Hockey League over the years knows that, as the seasons pile on, the game evolves.

South Boston's Chris Rooney avoided a major injury after the longtime NHL ref took a stick to the face on Sunday.