Sixteen teams in total make the NBA playoffs, eight teams from both the Eastern and Western Conferences. The top six seeds in each conference advance based on the regular season record. The final two seeds in each conference are wild-card spots based on the best remaining records in each conference.

The Florida Panthers have just rolled into Raleigh and embarrassed the Carolina Hurricanes in the first two games of the Eastern Conference Final. In Game 2, the Panthers jumped all over the Hurricanes right out of the gate and cruised to a 5-0 win.

After two lopsided home losses in the Eastern Conference Final, the Carolina Hurricanes need to figure out what’s ailing them, and fast, as the series shifts to Florida.

Thanks to the FanDuel traders, we already know which team will be the betting favourite in all four possible matchups for the Stanley Cup Finals. This is the Morning Coffee for Tuesday May 20th, 2025.