3 Florida Panthers players to watch out for in Game 1 against the Carolina Hurricanes

The Florida Panthers have got hot at the right time and are now into the Eastern Conference Finals.

Florida was the final team to clinch a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, as the Panthers were the eighth seed. They had to play the Boston Bruins, who just had the best regular season in NHL history. Although the task seemed daunting, Florida pulled off the upset to win in Game 7.

In the second round, Florida beat the Toronto Maple Leafs in five games and are now set to face the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Ahead of Game 1 on Thursday night, here are three key Florida Panthers players to watch out for

#1. Sergei Bobrovsky

The Florida Panthers had a bit of a goalie carousel in the regular season as Florida started Spencer Knight, Alex Lyon, and Sergei Bobrovsky. The problem was that all three struggled.

Going into the playoffs, the biggest concern for Florida was their goaltending, but Bobrovsky has anchored the Panthers. Bobrovsky did not play all seven games against Boston, as it still was Alex Lyon's net, but the former Vezina winner stole the starting role and has run with it.

In these playoffs, Bobrovsky is 7-2 with a 2.82 GAA and a .918 SV% and has stolen games for Florida. If the Panthers are going to win Game 1, Bobrovsky will need to be on his A-game.

#2. Matthew Tkachuk

Matthew Tkachuk was the biggest offseason addition for the Florida Panthers and in the first round against the Boston Bruins, he was arguably their best player.

Tkachuk was physical as he landed some huge hits which helped Florida get momentum and scored some timely goals and assisted on timely goals.

However, against Toronto, Tkachuk didn't scored a goal as the Leafs' defenseman kept him out of the series. Although Florida still won, if the Panthers are going to beat Carolina and advance to the Stanley Cup, Matthew Tkachuk will need to score some big goals and land some big hits.

#3. Carter Verhaeghe

Carter Verhaeghe is Mr. Clutch. Verhaeghe has really come into his own with the Florida Panthers after both the Tampa Bay Lightning and Toronto Maple Leafs gave up on him. In these playoffs, the forward has 12 points in 12 games, including five goals, with three of them being game-winners.

Verhaeghe steps up in the biggest moments as he gets to the front of the net and gets tips in and rebound goals. If the Florida Panthers are to score a lot, Verhaeghe will doubtless play a huge part.