It’s cliche to say that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts, but in this instance, it’s a great example of exactly that.’

Both teams have already clinched playoff spots and are scheduled to meet again in the semifinals with just two weeks left in the regular season.

With OTAs set to begin this week, the Panthers have signed seven of their eight draft picks. But what's the holdup on their last deal?

Pyotr Kochetkov will start for the Hurricanes in Saturday night’s Game 3 of the Eastern Conference final, coach Rod Brind’Amour said after Saturday’s morning skate. “Just change the vibe a little bit,” Brind’Amour said. “ (Kochetkov is) a kid that we’ve had in there all year that’s played well for us.”

As a result, Michigan sits atop the USFL, one game ahead of Baltimore. Since Baltimore won the first meeting of the regular season, if the Stallions were to beat the Panthers, they would have to simply defeat the Memphis Showboats (or have Michigan lose in Week 10) to clinch first place.

The veins of the Panthers roster is flowing with a lot of “new blood” as 27 of the 92 players in Carolina are classified as rookies. Carolina added eight rookies via the 2025 draft, so the remaining 19 are among the hundreds of undrafted rookie free agents that land on NFL rosters every season.

The Panthers have routed the Hurricanes and Maple Leafs in their last four playoff games, causing opposing fans to boo their own team and leave games early.

Things have worked out very well for Jones, who singed some bridges on his way out of Chicago but now finds himself on the verge of the Cup Final mere months later.

Close to 2,600 Panthers are graduating, including 750 with advanced degrees. The Argyros College of Business and Economics leads the way with 522 grads, followed by the Crean College of Health and Behavioral Sciences with 458 and the Dodge College of Film and Media Arts with 421.