A five-goal flurry in the third period swayed the game to the Panthers, who need one more win to return to the Stanley Cup Finals.

SUNRISE — By the time Brad Marchand came crashing down the left side and turned Anton Lundell’s pass into the sixth goal of the night, the Florida Panthers already had broken Carolina again, already turned a tight game into a celebration for the third straight time in the Eastern Conference Final.

Florida Panthers fan wave their towels during the first period of Game 4 of a Stanley Cup playoffs second-round series on Sunday, May 11, 2025, at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Fla. Alie Skowronski [email protected] The Eastern Conference final has shifted to home ice for the Florida Panthers.

It looks like the Florida Panthers will appear in the Stanley Cup Final for the third straight season. Paul Maurice's squad has jumped out to a 2-0 lead over the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final.

Niko Mikkola and Aleksander Barkov each scored twice, and the Florida Panthers scored five goals in a nine-minute span of the third period to beat the Carolina Hurricanes 6-2 on Saturday night and move one win from a third consecutive trip to the Stanley Cup Final.

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

The Panthers' new tradition plays on Marchand's reputation as a "rat" -- but the celebration can trace its roots back almost 30 years.

Things have worked out very well for Jones, who singed some bridges on his way out of Chicago but now finds himself on the verge of the Cup Final mere months later.