Photo credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images
Florida Panthers Carolina Hurricanes comeback flipped another game when it mattered most.
Playing their final road game of the 2025 calendar year, the Panthers once again found themselves chasing the Hurricanes, and once again refused to let the night get away. For the second time in less than a week, Florida erased a multi-goal deficit and stunned the Metropolitan Division leaders, this time with a 5-2 win at Lenovo Center.
Carolina struck first and looked comfortable early. Sebastian Aho helped engineer the opening goal just over four minutes in, as Eric Robinson beat Sergei Bobrovsky with a long wrist shot following a stretch pass that caught Florida in transition. The Hurricanes dictated pace and forced Florida to grind.
Florida Panthers overwhelm Hurricanes in final frame
The Panthers finally cracked the door early in the third period. Niko Mikkola jump-started the comeback with a heavy one-timer that beat Frederik Andersen glove side, cutting the deficit and shifting momentum. From there, everything accelerated.
Aaron Ekblad forced a turnover that led directly to Luke Kunin's second goal of the season, tying the game. Just 43 seconds later, Sam Reinhart found Anton Lundell slicing through the slot, and suddenly Florida had a 3-2 lead with 13 minutes still on the clock.
Once Florida sensed vulnerability, they didn't hesitate. Sam Bennett extended the lead with a nasty wrist shot from the right circle, beating Andersen cleanly. Seth Jones capped the surge with a power-play goal, his sixth of the season, sealing a five-goal third period that completely unraveled Carolina.
While the comeback will grab headlines, Bobrovsky's work early mattered just as much. He made several timely saves when the game was still tilted the Hurricanes' way, finishing with 17 stops and denying all four of Carolina's high-danger chances. Without that foundation, there's no comeback story to tell.
Florida stacked shifts, won puck battles below the goal line, and forced Carolina into rushed decisions that snowballed quickly. The Hurricanes never recovered their structure.
One more comeback. One more statement.
The Panthers head into the holiday break with momentum, confidence, and another reminder that games against them are never finished until the final horn.