Fans weren't too happy about Aaron Ekblad's hit to Jackson Blake's head after the Hurricanes' second goal in Game 1.

The Florida Panthers have a 1-0 series lead over the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final. Just two days after winning Game 7 in Toronto in blowout fashion, the Panthers smothered the Hurricanes with a 5-2 win in Game 1.

Florida began the Eastern Conference Final in the Stanley Cup playoffs with a 5-2 victory, adding to its success from 2023.

If they want to defend their title, the Panthers have to go through a much more well-rested Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final. The Panthers went into Toronto Sunday night and flexed their postseason prowess with a 6-1 blowout in Game 7.

The Carolina Hurricanes fell to the Florida Panthers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final. Despite playing the game at home, Carolina wasn't able to muster up the same energy as the defending champions to get the win.

After a dominant 6-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 7 of the second round, the Florida Panthers' offense kept rolling into the Eastern Conference Finals.

Just 48 hours after beating Toronto in Game 7, Florida became the first team in these playoffs to win in Carolina.

That’s five straight playoff losses to the Panthers, and 13 straight in this round, period, for the Hurricanes since June 1, 2006. Eric Staal and Erik Cole were on the ice that night; their efforts to cheer the team on from a suite Tuesday went unheeded.

In a rematch of the 2023 Eastern Conference Final against the Panthers, the Hurricanes will yet again play another recent playoff opponent, this time looking to turn the tables after that sweep.