Panthers lose Eetu Luostarinen to game misconduct penalty after boarding Carolina’s Jackson Blake

By Canadian Press on May 24, 2025.

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Florida lost forward Eetu Luostarinen to a game misconduct penalty after he sent Carolina’s Jackson Blake into the boards late in the first period of Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals.

Luostarinen was assessed a 5-minute major for boarding, which held up after video review, and the misconduct. Blake remained on the ice behind the goal line for about a minute, getting tended to by Hurricanes’ personnel, and then went to the locker room for evaluation.

Both appeared to be giving chase to the puck deep in the zone when they got tangled, and Luostarinen’s momentum wound up driving Blake into the boards. The top of Blake’s helmet appeared to hit near the top of the boards, along the bottom of the plexiglass.

There was no immediate word on whether Blake would return to the game.

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AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

The Associated Press