The Florida Panthers battled in a seven-game series with the Toronto Maple Leafs in the second round, but its been shear dominance so far against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Florida Panthers' Brad Marchand, left, is separated by officials from Carolina Hurricanes' Shayne Gostisbehere (4) during the third period of Game 1 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Eastern Conference finals in Raleigh, N.C., Tuesday, May 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker) AP

Carolina Hurricanes (47-30-5, in the Metropolitan Division) vs. Florida Panthers (47-31-4, in the Atlantic Division)

The Panthers flat-out dominated the Hurricanes on Thursday, cruising to a 5-0 win to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-7 series with a spot in a third consecutive Stanley Cup Final at stake.

Taylor Hall and Seth Jones started the 2025 calendar year as teammates on a Chicago Blackhawks team mired in a multiyear rebuild and sitting at the bottom of the NHL standings. Now they’re squaring off for a trip to the Stanley Cup Final.

Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the NBA Most Valuable Player, the league announced on Wednesday night.