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It’s World Baseball Classic time! The international baseball tournament is back for the first time since 2017 and features some of baseball’s most stacked lineups maybe … ever.

In its fifth edition, the World Baseball Classic will start on March 8, with pool play spanning Japan, Taiwan, Florida and Arizona and featuring 20 teams. Two will advance out of each pool to compete in the quarterfinals in Tokyo and Miami. From then on, games will be played in Miami, with the semifinals on March 19 and 20 and the championship game on March 21 to conclude the tournament.

Which of the top teams will prevail?

Will Mike Trout help the United States defend its 2017 title? Can Japan win its third championship with Shohei Ohtani at the helm? Or will a stacked Dominican Republic team headlined by Manny Machado and Juan Soto secure a second title?

We ranked all 20 competitors — from those with the best chance at winning to those that are just happy to be there. ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez, David Schoenfield and Bradford Doolittle explain the rankings, identify a player to know for every team and give us an MLB equivalent for each of the top squads.

Let’s dive in.

Best chance to win

1. Dominican Republic

Why it could win it all: I mean, just look at that lineup. The position-player portion of the Dominican roster boasts 34 trips to the All-Star Game, 20 Silver Sluggers and six Gold Gloves. The likes of Nelson Cruz and Robinson Cano, now in the late stages of their respective careers, absorbed a sizable chunk of those accolades. But this team is decorated with numerous superstars in the thick of their prime — Machado, Soto, Rafael Devers, Julio Rodriguez, Wander Franco, Jeremy Pena. It’s exhausting.

The only question here is how Dominican manager Rodney Linares will divvy up playing time, especially at second base, third base and shortstop, all of which are incredibly crowded. The pitching staff is almost as lethal, led by reigning National League Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara and featuring a plethora of legitimate, late-inning bullpen arms (Rafael Montero, Gregory Soto and Camilo Doval, just to name a few).

Player to know: Cristian Javier burst onto the scene in Game 4 of the World Series, throwing the first six innings of a combined no-hitter. It was the lasting image to what had already been a brilliant season for the 25-year-old right-hander with a devastating fastball. Javier, originally obtained for $10,000, has since signed a five-year, $64 million extension with the Houston Astros and is poised to take the next step as one of the most dominant arms in the sport during the 2023 regular season. First, he’ll serve as a key member of the Dominican Republic’s starting rotation, which also includes Johnny Cueto and Roansy Contreras. It’s still March, so Alcantara can’t carry this staff the way he did the Miami Marlins’ last season. If the Dominican Republic is going to live up to lofty expectations, Javier will probably have to dominate too.

MLB team they remind us of: The 2023 New York Mets — if they had signed Carlos Correa. The presence of Correa would have given the Mets a ridiculous — and borderline unfair — amount of talent throughout their lineup, to go along with a devastating top of the rotation and an intimidating back end of the bullpen. That’s this year’s Dominican Republic squad. It’s loaded with premium defenders, dangerous base stealers, prodigious sluggers and some of the best pure hitters in the world, all backed by a deep cast of proven power arms. There’s a reason the DR is the prohibitive favorite.

— Gonzalez


2. United States

Why it could win it all: The U.S. is the defending champ and rolls out a lineup that is the strongest it has ever assembled in the World Baseball Classic and includes Trout for the first time. Indeed, while social media has initiated a love affair with the Dominican team and the Dominicans rank No. 1 here, based on 2022 numbers, the U.S. lineup is stronger. Using wRC+, the U.S. team features the No. 3 hitter from 2022 (Paul Goldschmidt), No. 4 (Trout), No. 8 (Nolan Arenado), No. 12 (Mookie Betts), No. 14 (Pete Alonso) and No. 16 (Jeff McNeil). Oh, plus it has the best catcher in the game in J.T. Realmuto, NL home run leader Kyle Schwarber and two of the best all-around players in Trea Turner and Kyle Tucker. This lineup is absolutely stacked and has to rank as one of the best in the sport’s history, whether in the WBC or even All-Star competition.

Player to know: Brady Singer. There is no clear ace on the U.S. team, and manager Mark DeRosa might rely on St. Louis Cardinals veterans Adam Wainwright and Miles Mikolas in the biggest games, but keep an eye on Singer. He arguably had the best 2022 of any of the U.S. starters — it just came with the Kansas City Royals, so nobody noticed. The U.S. has a deep bullpen led by Devin Williams, Ryan Pressly, Jason Adam, Daniel Bard and Adam Ottavino, but the starters will need to deliver as well.

MLB team it reminds us of: The 2022 Los Angeles Dodgers, who led the majors in both runs scored and fewest runs allowed. Other teams can match or top the U.S. in starting pitching, but no team has the overall pitching depth of the U.S. from one through 15. Of course, we all know what happened to the Dodgers in the postseason.

— Schoenfield


3. Japan

Why it could win it all: Japan has won the World Baseball Classic twice already and returns with what might be its best, most balanced roster yet, featuring a compelling blend of proven major league talent, young NPB stars and veteran Japanese players who know what it’s like to navigate tournaments like these. We know the likes of Ohtani, Yu Darvish and Lars Nootbaar. But Masataka Yoshida signed a five-year, $90 million contract with the Boston Red Sox this offseason and is a great pure hitter. Munetaka Murakami has won back-to-back Central League MVPs and is still only 23 years old. Yoshinobu Yamamoto is considered the best pitcher in Japan, coming off back-to-back Sawamura Awards (the NPB equivalent of a Cy Young). And Roki Sasaki might be even better.

Player to know: Major league scouts and executives are already salivating at the prospect of someday getting their arms around Sasaki, a 21-year-old right-hander who throws his fastball in the triple digits and nearly threw back-to-back perfect games last season. Sasaki finished the year with a 2.02 ERA and 173 strikeouts in 129⅓ innings. Murakami, meanwhile, posted a .318/.458/.711 slash line and accumulated a record 56 home runs. Late last season, while talking about the prospect of facing one another in the WBC, Ohtani told Trout he probably wasn’t the best pitcher nor the best hitter on Team Japan. Trout didn’t believe him. Soon, after getting an up-close look at Sasaki and Murakami, he just might.

MLB team it reminds us of: The 2001 Seattle Mariners. Led by a Japanese rookie named Ichiro Suzuki, those Mariners didn’t boast the sexiest of rosters, but they did everything well. They slugged, hit for average, stole bases, played sound defense and pitched extraordinarily well. By the end of the season, they won a whopping 116 games, establishing themselves as one of the most dominant teams in recent memory. That could be Samurai Japan.

— Gonzalez


4. Venezuela

Why it could win it all: Venezuela probably has the third-best lineup in the tournament and is especially loaded in the middle infield with Jose Altuve, Andres Gimenez, Luis Arraez and Gleyber Torres. If it wants to get all those bats in the lineup, it can slide Gimenez to shortstop, Arraez to first and let Altuve DH (with Eugenio Suarez or Eduardo Escobar at third base). Ronald Acuna Jr., Salvador Perez and Anthony Santander add power. Venezuela has had talented teams in the past but has reached the semifinals just once in four WBCs (back in 2009). The team has never had this kind of starting pitching depth, however, with the likes of Martin Perez, Pablo Lopez, Jesus Luzardo, Eduardo Rodriguez, Luis Garcia and Ranger Suarez — deep enough that some of that group can be used in relief.

Player to know: Acuna’s power was down last season as he returned from ACL surgery in 2021. This will be an opportunity to show everyone he’s back at full strength and still one of the best players in the game — and he certainly has the firepower to carry the offense if he gets hot.

MLB team it reminds us of: The 2017 Houston Astros, who had a deep and balanced lineup, including a stellar middle infield duo of Altuve and Correa. When the bullpen faltered early in the playoffs, they still had so much starting pitching depth that manager A.J. Hinch was able to use them out of the bullpen as the Astros won the World Series. Let’s just hope Venezuela leaves the garbage can out of this comparison.

— Schoenfield


5. Puerto Rico

Why it could win it all: After finishing second in the past WBC, Puerto Rico will try to channel some of the swagger of the 2021 Mets, with a flashy middle infield of Javy Baez and Francisco Lindor, as well as Edwin Diaz lurking at the back of the bullpen. Speaking of swagger: Manager Yadier Molina will channel his unique mix of bravado and intensity in a new role. While a number of key hitters for Puerto Rico are coming off subpar performances — Baez, Eddie Rosario, Kike Hernandez — that also means they have a lot to prove. And Molina has a filthy bullpen to work with in Diaz, his brother Alexis, Jorge Lopez, Alex Claudio and Emilio Pagan.

Player to know: MJ Melendez is looking to build on his solid MLB debut from last season, and he can mash. While he isn’t likely to see a ton of time behind the plate on a roster that includes Martin Maldonado and Christian Vazquez and is overseen by Molina — one of the great defensive backstops in history — Melendez should figure into the corner outfield/DH mix as one of the few lefty swingers on the Puerto Rico roster.

MLB team it reminds us of: The 2015 Royals. Lots of aggressive hitters, flashy defense and athleticism and a bullpen that can close things out if you get a lead into the middle innings. And, also, a group of starters — led by Jose Berrios and Marcus Stroman — that you just hope can get the ball to that bullpen with the game on the line.

— Doolittle

They’ll be competitive

6. Korea

How it stays competitive with the top teams: Like Japan, Korea has the advantage of being placed in Pool B, where it figures to outclass Australia, China and the Czech Republic to advance out of pool play. Once in the quarterfinals, Korea can attack opposing staffs with a contact-heavy lineup that has surprising pop. Tommy Edman and Ha-Seong Kim will be among the key table-setters, and if Korea can get runners on base, we’ll all see how dynamic this overlooked lineup is when Jung Hoo Lee, Baek-ho Kang and Jeong Choi get their hacks.

Player to know: Lee is the reigning KBO MVP. He’s similar to Wade Boggs, having hit .342 so far in his career as a lefty with ridiculous bat control and contact skills. And his power has been developing as well. Rumors are we could see him in MLB before too long, so get to know him now.

Style of play: A lot of Americans were exposed to the KBO in 2020, when MLB was shut down during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. What we saw was a circuit where home runs matter, of course, but there was also a premium on getting the ball into play and moving baserunners. If Korea goes on a deep run, we should see that firsthand.

— Doolittle


7. Mexico

How it stays competitive with the top teams: Mexico doesn’t feature a lineup as deep as the favorites in the WBC, but there is plenty of punch in a group led by outfielders Randy Arozarena, Alek Thomas, Alex Verdugo and Jarren Duran. There is also the potential for one of the top rotations in the WBC with Julio Urias, Patrick Sandoval, Jose Urquidy and Taijuan Walker. However, with strict usage limits on WBC starters, Mexico might have to hang on for dear life with an uncertain bullpen, especially once it hits the quarterfinals. Getting sizable early leads will be key.

Player to know: Thomas has been one of the better outfield prospects in the game for a couple of years, and in 2022, he got his first taste of big league ball with 113 games for the Arizona Diamondbacks. An agile, pure hitter in the minors, Thomas will have a chance to boost his confidence level heading into his sophomore campaign.

Style of play: Maybe it’s because of Fernando Valenzuela, but the first thing that springs to mind is starting pitching, and that will certainly be key to this year’s run for Mexico in the WBC. But is it also too reductive to say that the baseball itself is just … fun? Last week, according to MLB.com, Red Sox teammates Duran and Verdugo were asked to give a presentation about Mexican baseball at Boston’s spring camp. They brought in a mariachi band for the occasion. You gotta love it.

— Doolittle


8. Cuba

How it stays competitive with the top teams: It’s very simple for Team Cuba: Its stars — Luis Robert, Yoan Moncada and Yoenis Cespedes, the latter of whom has not played in the major leagues since 2020 — will have to get hot and carry the team. Cuba was once among the global standards for baseball excellence, but an exodus of top-shelf talent over the past decade or so — coupled with economic hardships throughout the island and an insular governance that often shelters Cuba from the rest of the world — has brought with it a massive drop-off in the overall quality of play. Cuba, though, will be helped by playing in a pool that also includes Italy, the Netherlands, Chinese Taipei and Panama. Cuba should survive that part of the tournament. After that, it’ll get really difficult.

Player to know: Robert isn’t just the best player on Team Cuba; by the end of the year, we might be wondering if he’s one of the best players in the world. Robert — like Cespedes a dozen years ago — is strong and agile in ways few baseball players ever are. And now, his age-25 season, could be the time when he taps into his true potential. Chicago White Sox manager Pedro Grifol lent his voice to that earlier in spring training, saying: “This guy has an opportunity to win an MVP, in my opinion. If he puts it all together, it’s special.” The World Baseball Classic might be our first glimpse at that.

MLB team it reminds us of: This might seem random, but it’s the 2018 Oakland Athletics, who slugged only .286 against pitches 95 mph and above, one of the worst marks since the new millennium. And if there’s one major weakness for Team Cuba in this tournament, it could be that; the decrease in baseball talent on the island has meant its hitters are simply not used to seeing much velocity. That A’s team, however, was fundamentally sound, ranking among the best defensive teams in the sport that year. The Cuban players won’t hurt themselves. There’s still a lot of good coaching instruction on the island.

— Gonzalez


9. Canada

How it stays competitive with the top teams: If the tournament is moved to Saskatchewan and played on ice? OK, there are a few familiar names here including Freddie Freeman and Tyler O’Neill — and a team of mostly Canadian minor leaguers did beat the United States in a memorable contest back in 2006 — but simply advancing out of pool play and into the quarterfinals would be a huge accomplishment. Cal Quantrill, coming off an excellent season with Cleveland, is the staff ace, but Nick Pivetta had to withdraw, a severe blow to the pitching staff. There are some interesting prospects in catcher Bo Naylor (Cleveland Guardians), infielder Edouard Julien (Minnesota Twins) and outfielder Owen Caissie (Chicago Cubs). Adam Loewen, then a top prospect with the Baltimore Orioles, was the winning pitcher in that 2006 victory over the U.S., and he’s back at age 38, having last played professionally in 2018.

Player to know: Julien came in at No. 100 on Kiley McDaniel’s top 100 prospects. He’s a left-handed batter who played at Auburn and hit .300 with 98 walks and 17 home runs at Double-A. His defense at second base is a question, but his bat will get him to the majors.

MLB team it reminds us of: The 1982 Toronto Blue Jays. Canada has never advanced out of the first round and was outscored 21-3 in three games in 2017. Freeman and O’Neill will have to carry the offense, but the lineup is a little better with prospects and fringe major leaguers like Abraham Toro and Otto Lopez. As much as I’d like to compare Canada to the 1993 Blue Jays, it’s probably more like the ’82 team — interesting but not yet good enough.

— Schoenfield


10. Netherlands

How it stays competitive with the top teams: Teams that eke out low-scoring, close games have often gone far in the WBC. That feels like the formula that the Netherlands will need to stick to if it is going to once again reach the semifinals. There doesn’t figure to be a ton of strikeouts on this pitching staff, but if the team can collectively limit hard contact and keep the ball on the ground, an infield stocked with big names — Didi Gregorius, Jonathan Schoop, Andrelton Simmons and the newly enriched Xander Bogaerts — can take care of matters.

Player to know: Brothers! We all know about Jurickson Profar, but what about his brother, Juremi? They’re both on the Netherlands roster. Likewise, Jonathan Schoop is a well-established big leaguer, but have you watched his brother, Sharlon? You can see them together for the Netherlands in the WBC. Finally, the Palacios brothers — Josh and Richie — are both on the squad.

Style of play: We’ll see, but if the squad takes on the traits of its coaching staff, we’ll be in for a treat. Manager Hensley Muelens has Bert Blyleven and Andruw Jones on his staff. So maybe we can expect plenty of unhittable curveballs and off-the-charts defense in center field.

— Doolittle

You never know …

11. Chinese Taipei

What needs to go right: Long known for its success in the Little League World Series, Chinese Taipei has its own professional league that was established in 1989 and has had success in other international tournaments, including a win in the 2019 Asia Baseball Championship. Chinese Taipei has the added benefit of hosting Pool A, which includes Cuba, the Netherlands, Italy and Panama. It’s the most wide open (and weakest) group, so home-field advantage could help Chinese Taipei advance out of the first round for the second time. And if that happens … who knows.

Player to know: Infielder Yu Chang — now with the Red Sox after playing with the Guardians, Pittsburgh Pirates and Tampa Bay Rays last season — is the only current major leaguer from Taiwan, but watch out for third baseman Li Lin, the 2022 Chinese Professional Baseball League MVP who won the Triple Crown. He led the league with a .335 average and 83 RBIs and tied with catcher Kungkuan Giljegiljaw for the lead with 14 home runs. Giljegiljaw reached Triple-A with Cleveland in 2018.

Fun fact: The CPBL plays a 120-game season — divided into two halves. Food for thought if MLB wants to perhaps make the second half of its season more interesting, reduce tanking and rethink a new playoff structure.

— Schoenfield


12. Colombia

What needs to go right: Colombia will need to take care of business against Canada and Great Britain during pool play and hope it gets an outstanding start when it takes on Mexico to open up WBC play on March 11. The top candidate to do that is probably Jose Quintana, but keep an eye on Julio Teheran, who is looking to reestablish himself after some injury woes.

Player to watch: Tayron Guerrero, still a 6-foot-8 hard thrower, is now 32 years old, though he has never been quite able to stick in the majors. That’s probably because he has seldom looked like he has much idea where his pitches are going. He’s in Cincinnati Reds camp this spring, and while things haven’t been great over his first couple of appearances, the WBC might be a chance for him to show that the intimidating reliever he once seemed to be may yet emerge.

Fun fact: Colombia is a little over a year removed from winning its first Caribbean Series, when Caimanes de Barranquilla knocked off Gigantes del Cibao of the Dominican Republic in the final. The star of that win was righty Elkin Alcala, who is on Colombia’s WBC roster.

— Doolittle


13. Italy

What needs to go right: The offense will probably have to carry Team Italy in this tournament. Outside of Matt Harvey, who spent all of last year in the minor leagues and posted a 6.83 ERA from 2019 to 2021, the pitching staff is composed largely of journeymen. That offense, though, could be solid, with Vinnie Pasquantino, David Fletcher and Nicky Lopez providing established major league talent on the infield. Outfielder Sal Frelick, meanwhile, was ESPN’s 45th-ranked prospect heading into the season.

Player to know: Pasquantino, the Royals first baseman, might already be one of the sport’s best hitters, showcasing an elite combination of power and bat-to-ball skills. In 72 games as a rookie last season, Pasquantino batted .295/.383/.450 with 10 home runs and more walks than strikeouts.

Fun fact: Team Italy will feature two brothers in David and Dominic Fletcher. David, an infielder for the Los Angeles Angels, and Dominic, an outfielder in the Diamondbacks system, were born in Southern California but picked up Italian from their mother. They visited Italy for the first time this offseason.

— Gonzalez


14. Israel

What needs to go right: Joc Pederson is the headliner of this roster, but he’ll need some help. Specifically, he’ll need some of the young, relatively unproven hitters to step up. The ones who stick out are Matt Mervis, a 24-year-old first baseman who OPS’d .984 in the Cubs system last year, and Zack Gelof, a 23-year-old second baseman who batted .270/.352/.463 in the upper levels of the A’s system.

Player to know: Dean Kremer is the first big league pitcher with Israeli citizenship. He’s also the unquestioned ace on this staff, after establishing himself with the Orioles last season. Kremer, 27, accumulated 125⅓ innings in 2022 and posted a 3.23 ERA in 2022. Team Israel will need some big outings from him in this tournament.

Fun fact: You might not remember, but Team Israel created quite the stir in 2017, winning four consecutive games to advance into the second round before being eliminated by Japan. And this year, Team Israel has more current major league talent on its roster than ever.

— Gonzalez

Just happy to be here

15. Panama

Player to know: The roster features several major leaguers, albeit no big stars. Pitcher Jaime Barria had a 2.63 ERA as a reliever with the Angels last year but might have to start in this tournament, and Colorado Rockies reliever Justin Lawrence will play a key role. Catchers Christian Bethancourt and Ivan Herrera will have to step up and Dodgers outfielder Jose Ramos hit 25 home runs last year in High-A.

Fun fact: Panama is Central America’s strongest team and has produced two Hall of Famers in Mariano Rivera and Rod Carew but returns to the WBC for the first time since 2009. It went 0-2 that year while failing to score a run and went 0-3 in 2006.

— Schoenfield


16. Australia

Player to know: Aaron Whitefield, a 26-year-old outfielder, got a brief call-up to the major leagues last year and can flat-out run, accumulating 179 stolen bases over his six full minor league seasons. Tim Atherton, a 33-year-old right-hander, is among the veterans of the staff and posted a 3.27 ERA in nine starts for the Australian Baseball League last season.

Fun fact: There’s having the flexibility to use your best pitchers in the highest-leverage situations, and then there’s Team Australia’s approach going into the World Baseball Classic. “Everybody needs to be ready to pitch in the first inning of the first game against Korea,” Australia’s pitching coach, Jim Bennett, said recently. “Literally.” Team Australia will roster 20 pitchers, and Bennett said he’ll use them all in Game 1 if he has to.

— Gonzalez


17. Nicaragua

Player to know: Jonathan Loaisiga has been a staple out of the New York Yankees’ bullpen over the past three years and could evolve into their closer if he’s right. Loaisiga was dominant for much of 2021, posting a 2.17 ERA in 57 appearances. He got off to a bad start in 2022 but bounced back down the stretch and into the postseason. His calling card is a devastating sinker that reaches triple digits and helps him induce a lot of soft contact.

Fun fact: Nicaragua is in an incredibly tough pool it probably won’t survive, headlined by the Dominican Republic, Venezuela and Puerto Rico. But just getting there was a triumph. Nicaragua failed to qualify for the previous two World Baseball Classics, going a combined 2-4 in 2013 and 2017. This year, though, Team Nicaragua won three of four qualifying games, beating Pakistan, Argentina and Brazil.

— Gonzalez


18. Great Britain

Player to know: After falling into a career as a big league/Triple-A journeyman, Trayce Thompson broke out as a key performer for the powerful Dodgers in 2022. Before starring for the Minnesota Golden Gophers alongside Kevin McHale, teaming with Magic Johnson on the Showtime L.A. Lakers and becoming the father of Trayce and NBA sharpshooter Klay, Mychal Thompson grew up in the Bahamas. That makes Trayce eligible to represent King Charles III in the WBC.

Fun fact: According to Wikipedia, the British team won the first-ever Baseball World Cup in 1938. That club was managed by Chummy McNeil, a Canadian-born athlete who also played hockey, as one does. Now you know.

— Doolittle


19. China

Player to know: Shortstop Ray Chang, a Chinese American from Kansas City, had a 12-year minor league career and is returning for his fourth World Baseball Classic at age 39. He hit .324 in his previous three tournaments.

Fun fact: China has been outscored 102-18 in its WBC history, but it does have two victories, beating Chinese Taipei in 2009 and Brazil in 2013.

— Schoenfield


20. Czech Republic

Player to know: Former major leaguer Eric Sogard is the guy you will recognize, but most of the team is actually Czech-born and amateur in status — holding down day jobs like high school geography teacher and firefighter. Team manager Pavel Chadim is a neurologist.

Fun fact: The Czechs beat Spain 3-1 in the qualifying tournament to get here, defeating a Spanish team that included several former major leaguers and top-100 prospect Noelvi Marte of the Reds. Martin Schneider pitched 6⅓ innings to get the win — after Spain had posted 21 runs against the Czechs earlier in the qualifier. In its second game of pool play, the Czech Republic gets to face Japan. Imagine jumping from your local amateur league to playing against Ohtani.

— Schoenfield

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Panthers one game away from another Cup Final: Grades, biggest takeaways from Game 3

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Panthers one game away from another Cup Final: Grades, biggest takeaways from Game 3

One team is a win away from advancing to a third straight Stanley Cup Final. The other is about to once again come up short in a conference final. As drastic as that sounds, that is the reality facing the Florida Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes following the Panthers’ 6-2 win Saturday in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals.

The defending Stanley Cup champion Panthers opened the series by scoring five goals in each of the first two games and exposing the Hurricanes in a way that hadn’t been done by another team this postseason. On Saturday, it appeared that the Canes may have found a solution as they entered the third period tied at 1-1 … before the Panthers exploded for five straight goals to close out Game 3 in emphatic fashion.

How did both teams perform? Who is worth watching in Game 4? And given that there’s a sweep in play, what could Monday mean for both teams, knowing that one of them could see their season come to an end? Ryan S. Clark and Kristen Shilton answer those questions while reviewing what has been a lopsided Eastern Conference finals.

The Panthers withstood an expected early push from Carolina and settled swiftly into their own game. They failed to capitalize on their first-period power-play chance but made up for it by opening the scoring with a goal credited to Niko Mikkola (that actually went off Carolina’s Dmitry Orlov) midway through the first. It was a deflating marker for Carolina goalie Pyotr Kochetkov to cede right after a solid Hurricanes penalty kill and appeared to diminish Carolina’s confidence.

There was potential to shift Carolina’s momentum, though. Before the first period ended, Panthers forward Eetu Luostarinen finished a check sending Jackson Blake awkwardly into the boards. That earned Luostarinen a five-minute penalty and game misconduct, putting the Panthers down two of their top forwards in Luostarinen and an injured Sam Reinhart. But Florida didn’t let the lengthy man advantage hurt its momentum. The Panthers killed it off and matched Carolina’s shot total while shorthanded.

While the score was tied at 1-1 going into the third, Florida regained its lead with Jesper Boqvist undressing (to put it mildly) Orlov in shocking fashion. Boqvist entered the lineup to replace Reinhart, and it was the type of contribution Florida could only hope to see from its depth skater.

It was all Panthers from there, with goals from Mikkola, Aleksander Barkov (capitalizing on a turnover by Orlov), Evan Rodrigues and Brad Marchand giving Florida a 6-1 lead halfway through the third and putting Carolina against the ropes going into an elimination Game 4. Florida will wonder about Mikkola’s status ahead of that tilt. (He left in the third period Saturday after slamming into the end boards.) But the Cats can’t be too frustrated given their win. — Kristen Shilton

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Jesper Boqvist puts Panthers back ahead

Jesper Boqvist goes through the goaltender’s legs to restore the Panthers’ lead vs. the Hurricanes.

Unofficial Canadian poet laureate Avril Lavigne once posed one of more philosophical questions of her generation: Why’d you have to go and make things so complicated?

Everything the Hurricanes did through the first two periods of Game 3 created the belief that they could potentially stick with the Panthers. Only to then fall apart in the third period. Again.

There are numerous reasons why losing Game 3 is so damning for the Hurricanes. What might be the most prominent and prevalent is there might not be anything else they can do at this stage. We have seen the Panthers take a 3-0 series lead only to be pushed to a Game 7 in a playoff series. That was the case in last year’s Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers.

But through three games of this series? The Hurricanes have switched goaltenders, adjusted their lineups and sought out other alterations within their structure — and still lost by a large margin while once again falling prey to being on the other end of a big period. — Ryan S. Clark


Three Stars of Game 3

Mikkola has had quite a series. The defensemen has broken up plays, taken command off the rush and created quality scoring chances. He had two goals in Game 3 for his first career multigoal playoff game and the fourth multigoal playoff game in Panthers franchise history.

It was two goals and a helper for the Cats’ captain. This was Barkov’s 20th career multipoint playoff game, the most in Panthers franchise history.

3. The Panthers’ third period

The Panthers unloaded in the final frame, scoring five goals to run away with Game 3 by a final score of 6-2. Five tucks is the most in any period in a playoff game in franchise history. The Hurricanes have now lost 15 straight conference final games since they won the Stanley Cup in 2006. — Arda Öcal

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Panthers pour it on with 2 more quick goals

The Panthers net two more goals in just over a minute to pad their lead vs. the Hurricanes.


Players to watch in Game 4

There’s no question Florida’s netminder has been building a Conn Smythe case with his excellent play in this postseason. However, Bobrovsky hasn’t been at his most dominant in (initial) closeout games during the playoffs. He made 26 saves for an .897 save percentage in Florida’s Game 5 win over Tampa Bay to send the Lightning home, and made just 15 stops (.882 SV%) in Florida’s Game 6 loss to Toronto in the second round, when the Panthers had a chance to advance.

Bobrovsky was practically impenetrable in Game 7 of that series as the Leafs imploded, but it’s fair to wonder what version of Bobrovsky the Panthers will get in Game 4.

When Florida had an opportunity to close out Edmonton in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final last spring, Bobrovsky turned in his worst showing of the playoffs, with five goals allowed on 11 shots that saw him chased from the net in an 8-1 thumping. Florida has put itself in a good position to send Carolina home, but wouldn’t it be nice to do it sooner than later? Bobrovsky at his best will help Florida do just that. — Shilton

Benching Frederik Andersen was done with the belief that Kochetkov could give the Hurricanes a stronger chance to win. Through two periods, it appeared that that could be the case, as Kochetkov received the necessary support from the Hurricanes’ defensive structure, something that had been an issue in the first two games.

But the Panthers’ five consecutive goals in the third period derailed things. The Hurricanes have now allowed 16 goals over three games. It’s a stark contrast to the first two rounds, when Carolina allowed 18 total in 10 games against the Devils and Capitals.

Kochetkov’s first two periods of Game 3 provided a level of consistency the Hurricanes have struggled to find at times. Is it possible they take something from the opening two-thirds of Game 3 and parlay it into a different outcome in Game 4? Or will it be game and season over instead? — Clark


Big questions for Game 4

Is Florida ready to end this series?

The cliché that the fourth win of a playoff series is the hardest to get exists for a reason. The Panthers experienced that firsthand last season when they took a 3-0 lead over Edmonton in the Stanley Cup Final, then crisscrossed the continent over the next week as the Oilers clawed back to force a Game 7.

Did the Panthers learn their lesson on how to close an opponent out quickly? Florida did it to these very Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference finals two years ago with a tidy four-game sweep featuring many of the same elements we’ve seen from the Panthers in this round. But Florida appeared to have Edmonton well in hand 11 months ago, too.

Game 3 was arguably the Hurricanes’ best of the series. If they can channel some significant desperation into their game Monday, how will Florida handle the pressure of an urgent club trying not to be embarrassed with a 16th consecutive loss in a conference final situation? The Panthers can’t afford to look past what will be a dramatic Game 4. — Shilton

Is this it for the Hurricanes — and what comes next if it is?

That in and of itself is a rather loaded question for several reasons, with the obvious being: Will Monday be Carolina’s last game of the 2025 playoffs? If it is, what could that mean for the franchise going forward?

The way the Hurricanes have been constructed has allowed them to become a perennial playoff team with a legitimate chance of reaching the conference finals. But that comes with the caveat that the Canes might not go any further than that.

It was a dilemma the Panthers faced before making the changes that saw them not only win a Stanley Cup, but also be one win away from a third consecutive Stanley Cup Final. Maybe it doesn’t come to that point for the Hurricanes. But if they allow five or more goals for a fourth straight game while also struggling to score? It could lead to some difficult questions this offseason in Raleigh. — Clark

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Up 3-0, Panthers will not ‘start looking ahead’

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Up 3-0, Panthers will not 'start looking ahead'

SUNRISE, Fla. — The Florida Panthers are one win away from an Eastern Conference finals sweep. They’ve outscored the Carolina Hurricanes, a team that’s lost 15 straight conference final games, by a count of 16-4. Yet Panthers forward Brad Marchand is still ready for this series to go the distance.

“We’re prepared to go seven here,” he said after their 6-2 victory in Game 3 on Saturday night. “I mean, you can’t start looking ahead. That’s such a dangerous game to play.”

Contextually, that mindset might seem preposterous. The Panthers are trying to match the Tampa Bay Lightning as the only teams since the Edmonton Oilers’ 1980s dynasty to advance to the Stanley Cup Final in three straight seasons, having won the Cup last season. They’ve dominated the Hurricanes with their physicality, scoring depth and the goaltending of Sergei Bobrovsky, who now has a .947 save percentage and a 1.33 goals-against average in the conference finals.

It seems like a matter of when, not if, Florida will eliminate Carolina — and the “when” is trending to be Monday night at home in Game 4. Yet the Panthers are the last team to take a 3-0 lead for granted.

Coach Paul Maurice recalled their semifinals series against the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2023, when they went up 3-0 and dropped a Game 4 on home ice. “We wanted it so bad that we tried to win the game on every play,” he said.

Then came the ultimate lesson on how not to close out a series: The 2024 Stanley Cup Final, which saw the Panthers squander a 3-0 series lead to the Edmonton Oilers before finally winning Game 7 to hoist the Cup for the first time.

Maurice hopes his players understand the dynamics at play in Game 4.

“They have the desperation advantage. You have, potentially, the desire advantage. Both teams will fight that. Can we control the desire emotion and play the game? Can they control the desperation emotion and play the game? The common denominator is just playing the game,” he said.

Game 3 saw the Hurricanes play with more desperation than they’ve exhibited in this series. The game was tied 1-1 entering the third period after Carolina’s Logan Stankoven — who Bobrovsky robbed earlier in the second period with a lunging blocker save — managed to knock the puck past him for a power-play goal at 14:51 to even the score.

The Hurricanes were finally looking like the stingy, tight-checking team they’re known for being. Maurice wasn’t expecting a windfall of offense from the Panthers after the first 40 minutes of Game 3.

“We’re not going out to the third period saying, ‘Well, we can tell this is going to work out [for us]. I’ve got an extra piece of gum in my pocket for the second overtime. That’s how our experience with Carolina has been,” the coach said.

The gum stayed in his pocket. Florida scored five goals in the first 10:37 of the third period to put the game — and potentially the series — away.

“We knew we needed to be a little better than what we were in the second period, so we tried to keep things simple and I think we got rewarded for that,” said captain Aleksander Barkov, who had two of the goals in the onslaught.

Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour was left dumbfounded.

“We’re playing better and then we just turn pucks over. It’s not what we do. I think everyone’s just pretty surprised, you know what I mean?” he said. “Just you can’t do that. In a preseason game it’s going to cost you. But against that team, and you turn it over for odd man rushes? Forget it.”

The key to the rally was a goal by forward Jesper Boqvist, who was put on Barkov’s line as an injury replacement for Sam Reinhart, the Panthers’ leading scorer in the regular season. He took a short pass from linemate Evan Rodrigues and then turned Carolina defenseman Dmitry Orlov (minus-4) inside out before scoring on the backhand against Pyotr Kochetkov (22 saves), who got the start over Frederik Andersen in Game 3 for Carolina.

Boqvist had just one goal and one assist in 9 playoff games this postseason, averaging 8:53 in ice time. In Game 3, he had three points (1 goal, 2 assists) and skated 15:08 for the Panthers.

“He’s an extremely gifted player. I love playing with him. He can kind of play anywhere in the lineup and he’s such an incredible skater. So strong with the puck, so smart. And that was a massive goal,” Marchand said.

The Panthers won Game 3 without Reinhart and without having forward Eetu Luostarinen for most of the game, after he was ejected for boarding Carolina forward Jackson Blake in the first period. Luostarinen was tied for the team lead with 13 points entering Game 3, with 4 goals and 9 assists.

The Panthers would kill off that 5-minute major in what Maurice called “a real inflection point in the game,” considering that Florida was missing key penalty killers in Luostarinen and Reinhart, who is day-to-day with a lower body injury. When they needed him, Bobrovsky (23 saves) was a great last line of defense.

Thanks to their third-period deluge, the Panthers are now poised to sweep the Hurricanes in the conference final for the second time in three postseasons. Yet even with Florida’s domination of the series, Marchand said his team is anything but overconfident.

“I don’t think the way the games have been played is really an indication of what the outcome’s been, score wise. They’ve been pretty tight. It just seems like we’ve gotten a couple bounces, a couple lucky breaks here and there that have given us a pretty good lead,” he said.

“But it doesn’t matter. It’s not going to change anything about next game. We’ve got to come in and prepare the same way. It’s always the toughest one to get, so we got to make sure we bring our best.”

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Panthers’ Luostarinen ejected after check in 1st

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Panthers' Luostarinen ejected after check in 1st

SUNRISE, Fla. — Florida Panthers forward Eetu Luostarinen was ejected from Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals after a boarding major against forward Jackson Blake of the Carolina Hurricanes.

With 3:01 left in the first period, Blake was chasing the puck back in his own zone with Luostarinen behind him. As Luostarinen reached out with his stick, Blake stopped short of the boards and Luostarinen hit through him. Luostarinen drove Blake’s head into the boards, bloodying the Carolina forward.

The on-ice officials gave Luostarinen a five-minute major and then reviewed the hit. They confirmed the call on the ice. Per NHL Rule 41.5, when a major penalty for boarding is called, a game misconduct is automatic. A major penalty for boarding is determined by “the degree of violence of the impact with the boards.”

Luostarinen was tied for the team lead with 13 points entering Game 3, with 4 goals and 9 assists. He scored 12 of those points on the road. Blake returned to action in the second period.

The Panthers lead the series 2-0 and had a 1-0 lead in Game 3 when the major penalty was called.

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