The Florida Panthers use a third-period barrage to beat the Carolina Hurricanes and move inches away from the Stanley Cup Final.

Clamping down on defense and erupting on offense in the third period, the Panthers pulled away for a 6-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final. The win gave Florida a 3-0 series lead and a chance to clinch a second straight Stanley Cup Final appearance on home ice.

Flapping his wings and netting his second goal of the game, Mikkola -- also known as “The Condor” – padded the newfound lead for the Panthers when he joined the rush, took a pass from Sam Bennett and buried a far-side snipe from the left circle to make it 3-1 at 6:26.

A five-goal flurry in the third period swayed the game to the Panthers, who remain on track to defend their Stanley Cup championship.

Carolina Hurricanes' Seth Jarvis (24) carries the puck in front of Florida Panthers' Aaron Ekblad (5) during the second period of Game 2 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Eastern Conference finals in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, May 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker) AP

With his club up 2-0 in the series, Florida Panthers forward Eetu Luostarinen was ejected from Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals in the first period, after a boarding major against forward Jackson Blake of the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night.

The Carolina Hurricanes switched goalies for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals, starting Pyotr Kochetkov in net against the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers.

SportsLine's hockey model has simulated Florida vs. Carolina in the 2025 Stanley Cup playoff Eastern Conference Final on Saturday 10,000 times