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Through the first two rounds, the Carolina Hurricanes looked as dominant as anyone, needing just 10 games to dispatch the New Jersey Devils and Washington Capitals.

The Eastern Conference finals have been a different story.

Carolina has run into the Florida Panthers, who are showing everyone that they are serious about defending the 2024 Stanley Cup title. Florida has won all three games by an aggregate score of 16-4.

Can the Canes pull off a historic comeback from down 3-0, or are the Panthers headed to a third consecutive Stanley Cup Final?

Here are matchup notes heading into Monday’s Game 4 from ESPN Research, as well as betting intel from ESPN BET:

More on Game 3: Recap | Grades

Matchup notes

Carolina Hurricanes at Florida Panthers
Game 4 | 8 p.m. ET | TNT

The Panthers, who are up 3-0 in the series, are -5000 to win, while the Hurricanes are +1500 to take the series, per ESPN BET; those numbers are adjusted from Florida -700 and Carolina +425 before Game 3. Florida is also the favorite to win the Cup at -110, and Sergei Bobrovsky leads the Conn Smythe Trophy candidates at +200.

With six goals in Game 3, Florida has scored at least five goals for four straight games, dating to Game 7 of the second round vs. the Toronto Maple Leafs. It’s the fourth instance in the past 30 years of a team scoring five-plus goals in four consecutive postseason games, joining the 1995 Detroit Red Wings, 2021 Colorado Avalanche and 2024 Avalanche.

Aleksander Barkov had two of the Panthers’ five third-period goals, and also added an assist, in the win. It is his 20th career multipoint playoff game, breaking a tie with teammate Carter Verhaeghe for the most in Panthers postseason history.

Also scoring two goals in the win was defenseman Niko Mikkola, who had just three goals in 61 career playoff games entering Saturday. Mikkola’s effort was just the fourth multigoal playoff game by a defenseman in Panthers history.

Evan Rodrigues had two assists in Game 3, becoming the sixth player in NHL history to register multiple assists in each of the first three games of a conference finals/Stanley Cup semifinals series (and the first since Al MacInnis in 1986).

The Hurricanes have lost 15 straight conference final-round games, extending their record for most consecutive losses in the round before the Stanley Cup Final (either conference final or semifinals) in Stanley Cup playoffs history. Carolina’s last win in a conference final-round game was June 1, 2006 (a 4-2 victory over Buffalo in Game 7 of the 2006 Eastern Conference finals).

Logan Stankoven finished with a goal and an assist, becoming the third rookie in Whalers/Hurricanes Stanley Cup playoffs history with four or more goals in a playoff year, joining Erik Cole in 2002 and Warren Foegele in 2019.

Carolina must try to come back from a 3-0 series deficit, something only four teams in Stanley Cup playoff history have accomplished in a best-of-seven series: Los Angeles Kings over San Jose Sharks (2014 conference quarterfinals), Philadelphia Flyers over Boston Bruins (2010 conference semifinals), New York Islanders over Pittsburgh Penguins (1975 quarterfinals), Maple Leafs over Red Wings (1942 Stanley Cup Final).


Scoring leaders

GP: 15 | G: 6 | A: 9

GP: 12 | G: 5 | A: 8

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Phillies’ Harper: Ejection for arguing ‘warranted’

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Phillies' Harper: Ejection for arguing 'warranted'

PHILADELPHIA — Phillies slugger Bryce Harper was ejected in the seventh inning of Friday’s game against Detroit for arguing a called third strike on a check swing.

The Phillies scored three runs in the seventh to tie the score at 3-3 and had two runners on base with two outs when Harper faced Tigers reliever Will Vest.

Harper tried to check his swing on a full-count changeup from Vest, but third-base umpire Vic Carapazza rang up Harper, who ripped his helmet off his head in an outburst and shouted as he waved his arms at Carapazza.

Harper was promptly ejected and kept his helmet with him as he walked into the dugout.

“I left the batter’s box walking toward him, so I think it was warranted,” Harper said.

Harper said after the Phillies beat the Tigers 5-4 that he had yet to see the replay, which seemed to indicate he went around with his swing.

“Can’t get thrown out in that situation, especially with the ninth inning possibly coming around and my at-bat coming up,” Harper said.

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Chourio hits IL, unlikely to return ‘anytime soon’

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Chourio hits IL, unlikely to return 'anytime soon'

WASHINGTON — The Milwaukee Brewers placed outfielder Jackson Chourio on the 10-day injured list Friday after evaluations of his strained right hamstring revealed more significant issues than expected.

Chourio was injured Tuesday while running the bases on a triple in the fifth inning. The move to the IL was made retroactive to Wednesday.

Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy said the 21-year-old Chourio likely will require more than a minimum stay on the injured list.

“It won’t be anytime soon,” Murphy said before the Brewers’ series opener against Washington. “He was diagnosed a little more severely than we initially thought. To what extent, I’m not exactly sure. Nor are they. We’re just going to have to rehab it.”

Murphy said Chourio will receive a platelet-rich plasma injection.

Chourio is hitting .276 with 17 homers, 67 RBI and 18 steals for Milwaukee, which entered Friday with the best record in the majors at 64-44. He was replaced on the active roster by outfielder Brandon Lockridge, who the Brewers acquired Thursday from San Diego for pitcher Nestor Cortes, infielder Jorge Quintana and cash.

Lockridge, who hit .216 with five RBI in 47 games with the Padres this season, was inserted into the leadoff slot Friday against the Nationals.

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Yanks release Stroman with Gil return imminent

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Yanks release Stroman with Gil return imminent

The New York Yankees released right-hander Marcus Stroman on Friday, abruptly terminating the veteran’s underwhelming tenure with the club.

The Yankees signed Stroman to a two-year contract worth $37 million guaranteed before the start of last season and will eat the remainder of his $18 million salary.

Stroman, 34, has an $18 million vesting option for 2026 that would have triggered if he pitched 140 innings pitched this season, but Stroman, with 39 innings under his belt on Aug. 1, won’t reach that goalpost and will become a free agent this winter.

“Obviously, that was tough today,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “The perception around Stro for us, if you got to be around him the last couple of years, he’s an awesome competitor.”

Boone said Stroman took the news of his release like “a pro.”

“Had a good interaction with him,” Boone said. “I feel he’ll be a guy I’ll stay in touch with for the rest of our lives. Appreciative of him.”

In the end, Stroman, who is 3-2 with a 6.23 ERA in nine starts this season, was the odd man out of the Yankees’ rotation with Luis Gil scheduled to come off the injured list to make his season debut Sunday against the Miami Marlins.

As it stands, New York’s starting rotation will consist of Max Fried, Carlos Rodon, Gil, Will Warren and rookie Cam Schlittler, who impressed team decision-makers enough in three starts since making his major-league debut on July 9 to convince the Yankees to pay Stroman to not pitch for them.

Stroman’s release also relieves a roster crunch with the Yankees adding four more players acquired before Thursday’s trade deadline to the roster: relievers David Bednar, Camilo Doval and Jake Bird and utilityman José Caballero. The Yankees traded Oswald Peraza to make room for Caballero while right-handers Ian Hamilton and Yerry de los Santos were optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Thursday. Cutting Stroman opened the final needed roster spot.

Stroman’s brief time in the Bronx was turbulent. An All-Star with the Chicago Cubs in 2023, Stroman recorded a 4.31 ERA in 30 appearances (29 starts) for the Yankees in 2024 and didn’t pitch in a postseason game as New York advanced to the World Series. The Yankees, anticipating a starting pitching surplus, then attempted to trade him over the offseason but couldn’t swing a deal.

As a result, Stroman reported to spring training not projected to make the Opening Day starting rotation. Unhappy with the possibility, he scoffed at the notion of being a reliever upon reporting to camp for workouts two days later than the team expected. Manager Aaron Boone called the situation “awkward.” Injuries to Gerrit Cole and Gil over the following month, however, opened the door for Stroman to begin the season in the rotation.

The 11-year veteran was placed on the injured list with a knee injury in April, missing more than two months before returning June 29 to make six starts. His final outing with the Yankees came Thursday when he surrendered four runs on six hits across five innings against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Stroman finished his Yankees career with a 4.69 ERA — the 11th-highest mark in the majors among pitchers who have logged at least 190 innings over the last two seasons. He can now sign with another club on a prorated minimum — approximately $230,000 for the remainder of the 2025 campaign.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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