The Florida Panthers are heading back to the Stanley Cup Final.

Florida used a three-goal second period to negate a horrid first period and then Carter Verhaeghe scored the game-winner with 7:39 left to play for a 5-3 win over the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference final on Wednesday at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh, N.C., to secure the best-of-7 series.

The Panthers now return to the Stanley Cup Final for a third consecutive season, becoming just the fourth team since 1980 to make it to at least three consecutive Stanley Cup Finals. The others: The Tampa Bay Lightning (2020-22), Edmonton Oilers (1983-1985) and New York Islanders (1980-1984).

Florida will play either the Oilers or Dallas Stars in the Stanley Cup Final. Edmonton leads the Western Conference final 3-1, with Game 5 and its first chance to win the series on Thursday.

Verhaeghe scored the game-winner, his sixth goal of the playoffs and his 12th career playoff game-winning goal, after Aleksander Barkov muscled through Carolina defenseman Dmitry Orlov on the boards before sending a pass across the crease to Verhaeghe. The winger then sent a snap shot past Frederik Andersen for the go-ahead strike.

Sam Bennett sealed the game with an empty-net goal.

Before that, the Panthers scored three times in a span of 4:36 in the second period to turn a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 lead.

It started when Matthew Tkachuk deflected in an Aaron Ekblad shot from the high slot on the power play to beat Frederik Anderson 7:23 into the period to cut Florida’s deficit to 2-1. It was the Panthers’ first goal on the power play in 11 tries after going a combined 0 for 8 on the man advantage in Games 3 and 4 and failing to score on their first opportunities Wednesday.

The Panthers tied the game 30 seconds later on an Evan Rodrigues wrist shot from up close on a feed from Bennett. It was Rodrigues’ first goal of the playoffs — making him the 19th Florida player to score a goal this postseason — and came after coach Paul Maurice moved him down to the second line with Bennett and Tkachuk at the start of the period. Rodrigues had been on Florida’s top line with Barkov and Sam Reinhart, but Verhaeghe moved into his spot to start the second period.

And then Anton Lundell gave Florida its first lead of the game — and first since winning Game 3 — with 8:01 left in the second period on a tip-in of a Brad Marchand pass.

It gave the Panthers all the momentum after a disastrous first period that saw them fall down 2-0 when Sebastian Aho scored twice — first at 4:39 into the opening frame and again with 1:06 left in the period — after Florida turnovers.

Florida also did it despite playing down a forward for the final two periods with Eetu Luostarinen missing the final two periods due to injury.

Seth Jarvis temporarily tied the game at 3-3 with 11:30 left when he beat Sergei Bobrovsky high with a wrist shot.

But like this team has done all postseason, it found a way to dig deep and make the plays when it mattered the most.

Verhaeghe stepped up this time, like he has so many times before.

And now, the Panthers are back in the Stanley Cup Final with a chance to repeat as champions.

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