Panthers-Hurricanes Game 1 takeaways, early look at Game 2 - ESPN

One team had four days to prepare, while the other barely had 48 hours. And yet… the Florida Panthers — after beating the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 7 on Sunday — once again applied an aggressive approach in a 5-2 win against the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals on Tuesday.

Practically every championship team has developed certain characteristics it has relied upon over time. That includes the Panthers. One of the ways they've advanced to three consecutive conference finals has been to gain a second-period lead. Taking a 3-1 advantage into the final period of Game 1 led to the Panthers winning their 28th straight playoff game in which they've led after two frames.

Exactly how did both teams perform? Who are the players to watch next game, and what are the big questions facing the Hurricanes and Panthers ahead of Game 2 on Thursday?

The way that the Hurricanes owned possession was instrumental in how they beat both the New Jersey Devils and the Washington Capitals in order to reach the conference finals for the second time in the past three seasons. They had that control in Game 1, with Natural Stat Trick's metrics showing that their shot share was 56%.

But it was moments of lack of control that proved crippling — which was the case when a turnover led to A.J. Greer giving the Panthers a 2-0 lead. The Panthers were also able to execute those quick-passing sequences, which accounted for why they went 2-for-3 on the extra-skater advantage against what was the top penalty kill entering the conference finals, at 93.3%. — Clark

Florida picked up where it left off in Game 7 of its second-round Eastern Conference playoff series against Toronto on Sunday — by dominating another opponent.

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