RALEIGH, N.C. — By Thursday morning, Bill Zito had long moved on, just as they all had. Another Stanley Cup Final awaited, another championship beckoned, and the Florida Panthers general manager stood on the third floor of the team’s hotel, celebrating the previous night’s clinching win against Carolina by not celebrating it one bit.

The Carolina Hurricanes should look to improve by making offseason trades. Could Erik Karlsson be a good fit in Raleigh?

The Florida Panthers scored five goals in the third period to take a 3-0 series lead against the Carolina Hurricanes. Highlights from Game 3.

It’s not every day a franchise joins an exclusive stat club. That said, the Warriors, Athletics, Detroit Pistons and Florida Panthers now find themselves in an exclusive club together.

The Florida Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes meet in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final in the Stanley Cup Playoffs Wednesday in Raleigh, N.C.

Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (72) loses his helmet during the third period in Game 6 of a second-round NHL hockey playoff series against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Friday, May 16, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) AP

The Panthers offense could not find the back of the net, getting shut out for the second time in the playoffs in a Game 4 loss to the Hurricanes.

For the second time in their last three home games, the Panthers were shut out, the latest a 3-0 blanking in Game 4 against the Carolina Hurricanes.