Jesper Boqvist didn’t even know he’d be in the lineup until Sam Reinhart was ruled out. But on Saturday night, thrust into a top-line role, Boqvist became the unlikely spark that lit a third-period inferno and pushed the Florida Panthers to the brink of another Stanley Cup Final.
Boqvist’s highlight-reel goal early in the third period broke a 1-1 tie and began a five-goal avalanche as the Panthers rolled to a 6-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final at Amerant Bank Arena. With the win, Florida takes a commanding 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series and can close it out on home ice Monday night at 8 p.m.
Boqvist finished with a goal and two assists — all during Florida’s explosive third period — after stepping into Reinhart’s spot on the top line with Evan Rodrigues and Aleksander Barkov. The 26-year-old’s dazzling go-ahead goal 1:29 into the third period flipped the game on its head and sent the Panthers charging toward a potential third straight Stanley Cup Final appearance.
The Hurricanes had played their best period of the series in the second, knotting the game 1-1 when rookie Logan Stankoven scored on a power-play rebound at 14:51. Carolina appeared poised to finally seize some momentum in the third. But that lasted barely a minute and a half.
Boqvist’s goal was a solo masterpiece. After Taylor Hall coughed up the puck near center ice, Aaron Ekblad started a transition rush by feeding Rodrigues, who found Boqvist with a slick backhand pass. Boqvist burst into the zone, danced around Dmitry Orlov with a cut to the slot, and beat Pyotr Kochetkov five-hole with a backhand finish that brought the crowd to its feet.
That opened the floodgates. Niko Mikkola, already with a first-period goal, scored again at 6:26, finishing off a 3-on-2 rush to make it 3-1. Just 29 seconds later, Barkov cashed in off a turnover by Orlov, thanks to a setup from Matthew Tkachuk. The Panthers captain wasn’t done — at 9:31, his cross-ice pass deflected off Shayne Gostisbehere’s stick and past Kochetkov to make it 5-1.
Brad Marchand, acquired at the deadline, capped the surge at 10:37 by finishing a 2-on-1 with Anton Lundell, making it 6-1 and effectively ending Carolina’s night.
Carolina’s stat sheet was a disaster. Hall finished minus-4, with just two shots on goal and the costly third-period turnover. Sebastian Aho was minus-3 with two shots, Andrei Svechnikov had no shots and three giveaways, and Seth Jarvis — who scored a meaningless power-play goal late — was minus-2.
The Hurricanes played without defensemen Sean Walker and Jalen Chatfield (undisclosed injuries), and rookies Alexander Nikishin and Scott Morrow were pressed into service. Nikishin was minus-4, while Orlov’s glaring miscues fueled the Panthers’ run. Kochetkov, starting over Frederik Andersen, was hung out to dry.
But excuses were in short supply. The Panthers were simply better — faster, deeper, and more opportunistic.
Florida has now outscored Carolina 16-4 in the series. Still, the Panthers downplayed the lopsided scoreboard.
“We’ve been in their shoes,” Barkov said. “Last year taught us that nothing is over until it’s over. Game 4 is going to be the hardest one.”
They would know. Florida took a 3-0 series lead in the 2024 Stanley Cup Final before Edmonton stormed back to force a Game 7 — which the Panthers narrowly won to capture their first-ever Stanley Cup.
Now, Florida is one win away from returning to the Final for the third straight year and trying to become the first back-to-back champions since the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2020 and 2021.
Game 4 looms large on Monday. The Panthers, with a sold-out Amerant Bank Arena behind them, are a team with their eyes firmly on history — and a chance to finish what Boqvist started.
