The Carolina Hurricanes didn’t just beat the Florida Panthers on Friday night – they absolutely destroyed them in a stunning 9-1 victory over the defending champs.
Nikolaj Ehlers stole the show with an incredible hat trick, making the Panthers’ defense look completely lost all night long.
The left wing was practically unstoppable, firing seven shots and finding the back of the net three times. Two of those goals came during a wild third period when the Hurricanes poured it on with six unanswered goals.
But Ehlers wasn’t done there. He added an assist to cap off a four-point performance that left fans buzzing.
The Panthers, who’ve won the last two Stanley Cups, had no answer for Carolina’s explosive offense.
Sebastian Aho nearly matched Ehlers’ heroics, coming up just one goal short of what would’ve been the team’s second hat trick of the night.
Between the pipes, Brandon Bussi put on a show of his own. The netminder turned away 38 of 41 shots in what might’ve been his best performance of the season.
It was exactly the kind of statement win the Hurricanes needed against a team that’s given them fits in recent years. The question now is whether they can keep this momentum rolling as they head into a crucial stretch of games.
