RALEIGH, N.C.: Carter Verhaeghe broke a tie off a feed from Aleksander Barkov with 7:39 left and the defending champion Florida Panthers advanced to their third straight Stanley Cup Final, beating the Carolina Hurricanes 5-3 on Wednesday night in Game 5.
The Panthers beat the Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference final for the second time in three seasons. The Panthers will face the winner of the Western final between Dallas and Edmonton, with the Oilers up 3-1 in that best-of-seven series to put them within a win of a rematch with Florida for the Cup.
Sam Bennett added an empty-net goal with 54 seconds left by skating down a loose puck straight out of the penalty box after Florida had held up against a critical late power play for the Hurricanes.
That capped a wild night that saw the Hurricanes jump to a 2-0 lead, then Florida answer with three second-period goals, only to see Carolina’s Seth Jarvis beat Sergei Bobrovsky midway through the third to tie it at 3.
When it was over, the Panthers posed for pictures on Carolina’s home ice during the presentation of the Prince of Wales Trophy for the conference winner. Some Hurricanes fans remained defiant, offering scattered “Let’s go, Oilers!” chants.
The angst is appropriate considering how Florida has now twice ended Carolina’s push to its first Cup Final since winning the franchise’s lone title in 2006 when now-coach Rod Brind’Amour was captain.
Florida had won the first three games of this series but lost 3-0 at home Monday night as the Hurricanes averted a second straight sweep against Florida. But by the final horn Wednesday, the Panthers had won all three games in Raleigh in the series, pushed their road winning streak in these playoffs to five games and earned an eighth postseason road win overall.
Defending champion Panthers head back to Stanley Cup Final with 5-3 Game 5 win over Hurricanes
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Defending champion Panthers head back to Stanley Cup Final with 5-3 Game 5 win over Hurricanes
Commando Group leads standings on second day of Abu Dhabi World Youth Jiu-Jitsu Championship
- Al-Jazira Jiu-Jitsu Club secured second place, with Al-Ain Jiu-Jitsu Club taking third at Mubadala Arena
ABU DHABI: Commando Group on Monday finished top of the standings at the Abu Dhabi World Youth Jiu-Jitsu Championship, capping off a day of competition in the blue and purple belt divisions at Mubadala Arena.
The second day of the event also saw Al-Jazira Jiu-Jitsu Club secure second place, with Al-Ain Jiu-Jitsu Club taking third. The youth tournament is part of the 17th Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
The championship is held under the patronage of Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, crown prince of Abu Dhabi and chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council.
Mansoor Al-Dhaheri, board member of the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation, said: “The seventeenth edition of the Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship continues to strengthen Abu Dhabi’s status as the world capital of jiu-jitsu. The event plays an important role in developing the sport and bringing communities together, and the participation of more than 10,000 athletes from 130 countries shows the growing confidence of the international sporting community in Abu Dhabi’s capabilities to organize major events. The championship’s constant high technical quality levels and the rise of new talents give the sport strong momentum locally and internationally.
“The championship reflects the UAE leadership’s vision to support younger generations through sports, especially jiu-jitsu, which instils values such as discipline, focus, confidence and patience in athletes. These values help mold a generation that is ready to compete at the highest levels and prepared for the future.”
One of the VIP guests, Carlos Vizioli, deputy chief of mission at the Brazilian Embassy in Abu Dhabi, said: “I am honored to attend this championship. It reflects the strong and growing relationship between the United Arab Emirates and Brazil. The UAE has become the main destination for thousands of Brazilian athletes who find a supportive environment here and feel at home.
“Abu Dhabi has shown that it can organize and host major global sports events at the highest level. This is why all participants appreciate and admire it. The hospitality and professional organization are key to the championship’s success every year.
“The performances we saw today from the blue and purple belt athletes were very strong and impressive. They are making clear progress, and their level shows the quality of training in clubs and academies from around the world.”
Competitions for the Masters category will start on Tuesday.
