Florida has its eyes on its first Stanley Cup Final ever.
The Panthers are in the Eastern Conference Final against the Hurricanes, battling for a spot in this year's Stanley Cup Final.
Not many expected Florida to make it this far. After winning the Presidents' Trophy last season, the Panthers clawed their way into the playoffs this year, managing to snag the second wild-card spot in the East.
The team was a game away from elimination in the first round, down 3-1 to the record-setting Bruins, but the Panthers rattled off three consecutive victories to deliver one of the most stunning comebacks in NHL history. Florida then took care of business against Toronto in five games in the second round to set up the conference finals matchup with Carolina.
Matthew Tkachuk, acquired last summer from the Flames, has been sensational in these playoffs for the Panthers. So has Sergei Bobrovsky, who has turned back the clock and looked very much like the two-time Vezina winner that the club handed a $70 million contract to four years ago.
NHL PLAYOFFS: FULL BRACKET | PREDICTIONS | SCHEDULE
Here is a look at the Panthers roster and lineup.
Florida Panthers 2023 roster, lineup
| Left Wing | Center | Right Wing |
| #23 Carter Verhaeghe | #16 Aleksander Barkov | #10 Anthony Duclair |
| #21 Nick Cousins | #9 Sam Bennett | #19 Matthew Tkachuk |
| #27 Eetu Luostarinen | #15 Anton Lundell | #13 Sam Reinhart |
| #94 Ryan Lomberg | #12 Eric Staal | #6 Colin White |
Extras: Zac Dalpe, Givani Smith, Patric Hornqvist (injured)
| Left Defense | Right Defense |
| #42 Gustav Forsling | #5 Aaron Ekblad |
| #18 Marc Staal | #62 Brandon Montour |
| #28 Josh Mahura | #7 Radko Gudas |
Extras: Lucas Carlsson, Casey Fitzgerald
| Goalies |
| #72 Sergei Bobrovsky |
| #34 Alex Lyon |
Florida Panthers captains
- C: Aleksander Barkov
- A: Sam Bennett, Matthew Tkachuk, Aaron Ekblad, Patric Hornqvist
Aleksander Barkov is the captain of the Panthers. He was named the 10th captain in franchise history ahead of the 2018-19 season.
This season, Sam Bennett, Matthew Tkachuk, Aaron Ekblad and Patric Hornqvist have all worn the "A" as alternate captains.
Florida Panthers coaches
- Head coach: Paul Maurice
- Assistant coaches: Jamie Kompon, Sylain Lefebvre, Tuomo Ruutu, Myles Fee
- Goaltending coach: Robb Tallas
Paul Maurice is the head coach of the Panthers. He is in his first season with Florida after spending nine seasons with the Jets.
He also previously was the head coach for the Hartford Whalers/Hurricanes and the Maple Leafs.
