Two teams are on verge of sweeps in NHL playoffs

The Florida Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes have put themselves one win away from earning firstround sweeps.

Florida and Carolina earned wins on Thursday to take 3-0 leads in their respective series.

The Panthers beat Tampa Bay 5-3, putting the Lightning on the brink of a second consecutive firstround exit. This comes on the heels of three consecutive trips to the Stanley Cup Final for Tampa Bay.

Meanwhile, Florida is looking to make a second trip back to the Cup final after suffering defeat at the hands of the Vegas Golden Knights last season.

Carolina, on the other hand, held on for a 3-2 road win on Thursday against the New York Islanders for a 3-0 edge in their series.

The Hurricanes didn't think they played their best in Game 3.

Frederik Andersen stopped 29 shots. Carolina won for eighth time in nine games at UBS Arena on Long Island, N.Y.

“We didn't really play our way tonight, it wasn't there,” Carolina forward Andrei Svechnikov said. “But we take the win and run away.”

The Islanders are a loss away from being eliminated by Carolina in the first round for the second straight year.

The Vegas Golden Knights returned

home with a 2-0 lead over the Dallas Stars in the first round of the NHL playoffs, with Game 3 set for Saturday night.

Vegas is 45-29-8 overall and 2712-2 at home. The Golden Knights have a plus-20 scoring differential, with 263 total goals scored and 243 conceded.

Dallas has a 26-10-5 record on the road and a 52-21-9 record overall. The Stars have a 22-8-2 record in games they convert at least one power play.

Jack Eichel has 31 goals and 37 assists for the Golden Knights. Noah Hanifin has three goals and seven assists over the past 10 games.

Roope Hintz has 30 goals and 35 assists for the Stars. Jason Robertson has four goals and two assists over the past 10 games.