Panthers now trail in the best-of-7 Stanley Cup Final 2-1 with Game 4 coming up on Saturday night in Sunrise
The Florida Panthers have won a Stanley Cup Final game.
It took seven tries stretched out across 27 years, but the Cats finally broke through.
They sure picked a good time to do it, eh?
Carter Verhaeghe did what he does and scored the overtime winner, sending FLA Live Arena into jubilation as Florida took Game 3 over the Vegas Golden Knights by the score of 3-2.
While it wasn’t a perfect game, it was the Panthers’ best of the series, as they looked more like the team that fought their way through the Eastern Conference gauntlet.
Also offering up another clutch goal was Matthew Tkachuk.
He left the game in the first period following crushing check by Keegan Kolesar because the off-ice spotters wanted to check Tkachuk for a potential head injury.
Eventually, he returned to the game early in the second period, and that would prove to be big for Florida.
With Sergei Bobrovsky on the Panthers bench in the final minutes, it was Tkachuk who found a Verhaeghe rebound and popped it into the net to extend the game.
Now Florida will get ready to host Game 4 with an opportunity to send the Final back to Vegas all tied up at two games apiece.
FIRST PERIOD
The first few minutes of the game saw back and forth hockey, but one good early sign for the Panthers was their zone exits.
The two or three early exits they maneuvered were clean.
New dad Brandon Montour got Florida on the board at the 4:08 mark when his long wrist shot found its way through a maze of players and into the net over Adin Hill’s blocker.
Not long after that was Kolesar’s flattening hit on Tkachuk at the Florida blue line, and moments later Will Carrier was called for a high stick on Sam Bennett as he entered the Golden Knights zone.
Florida got some good zone time but didn’t record any shots on goal during the man advantage.
Hill robbed Anton Lundell with a great blocker save after a great feed from the corner off the stick of Ryan Lomberg.
Shortly after, Marc Staal took a tripping penalty that saved a potential Vegas 2-on-1.
The call came with 7:46 to go in the period. At the time, Vegas had one shot on goal.
When the penalty expired, Vegas had two shots, but still no goals.
Carrier would get called for boarding Radko Gudas at the 15:17 mark, but Gudas would get the gate as well for a retaliatory cross-check.
During the penalty, Anthony Duclair took an offensive zone tripping penalty that put Vegas on a 4-on-3 power play.
It took the Golden Knights all of 23 seconds to tie the game on a nice tip in front by Mark Stone.
The rest of the period would go quickly, and both teams would go into their respective locker rooms with the game tied at one.
Vegas ended up with a 6-5 shot advantage.
SECOND PERIOD
It only took 24 seconds for the first penalty of the period to be called, a trip on Carrier, his third minor penalty of the game.
Once again Florida was able to maintain some solid zone time but couldn’t capitalize.
Nick Hauge got the first of the period at the 4:04 mark but Bobrovsky made a sparkling glove save on the shot from the left circle.
Aaron Ekblad would be called for a holding penalty on Chandler Stephenson at the 4:56 mark but Bobrovsky stood tall, stopping three shots while on the kill.
Not long after, Duclair drew a penalty of his own, using his speed to cut down the right wing and causing Brayden McNabb to reach out and put his stick in a place he shouldn’t have.
Once again, the Cats produced some great looks on Hill, but he would continue thwarting the home team.
Barkov was called for a rare penalty with 5:47 to go in the period after knocking down Zach Whitecloud in front of the Vegas net.
This time Vegas would cash in, with Jonathan Marchessault firing a one-time past a sprawling Bobrovsky off a slick cross-ice pass from Jack Eichel.
The power play pendulum swung back in the Panthers favor when Alec Martinez was called for interference at the 16:26 mark.
A good look by Sam Reinhart from between the circles would be the best opportunity for Florida but Hill swallowed it right up.
Lundell would be called for the next penalty, a slash in the final minute of the period.
Florida would escape the second, but they’d have to enter the third down a man and behind by a goal.
THIRD PERIOD
The Cats killed off the rest of the Lundell penalty and immediately got a couple good looks on Hill.
Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice made some moves on the forward lines, popping Reinhart on the top line with Barkov and Duclair, and moving Verhaeghe down to the line with Bennett and Tkachuk.
The parade to the penalty box continued at the 12:38 mark when Eichel was called for hooking, but once again the Panthers would fail to capitalize on the opportunity.
Vegas’ defensive play was suffocating, holding Florida to just four shots through the first 13 minutes of the period.
Ivan Barbashev rang the crossbar with about 4:20 to go after a neutral zone turnover by Mahura as the Panthers continued trying to do whatever they could to generate offense.
Maurice pulled Bobrovsky with about 2:30 to go, and Florida would finally capitalize.
Tkachuk found a rebound at the top of the crease and put it past Hill to tie the game with 2:13 to go.
A one-timer by Verhaeghe hit Barkov on its way in and the loose puck found its way to Tkachuk.
Stephenson drew a call on Forsling in the final minute after tripping over his own skates, so while the Cats would send the game to overtime, they’d have to kill off a penalty when it began.
Still, overtime. A lot better than game over.
OVERTIME
A solid penalty kill by the Cats was exactly what the doctor ordered. Vegas got some zone time but didn’t get any pucks through to Bobrovsky.
It was at the 4:27 mark of overtime that Verhaeghe made the building explode.
Bennett carried the puck over the Vegas blue line, stopped and found Verhaeghe cutting into the zone.
The man they call Swaggy took a couple strides into the zone and let go a wrist shot from above the circles.
A perfectly timed screen by Tkachuk was enough to keep Hill from tracking the shot, and boom. Game over.
We’ve got ourselves a series.
GAME NOTES
Montour’s goal was his first tally, and first point, since Game 1 of the second round.
Tkachuk has scored in consecutive games for the third time during the playoffs. He’s got two goals and an assist in his last two games.
The Panthers are now 7-0 in overtime during the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Special teams remain an issue for the Cats. They were 0-for-5 on the power play and gave up two goals while killing penalties.
Marc Staal’s tripping penalty at the 12:14 mark of the first period was the latest in a game Florida has taken a penalty during the Stanley Cup Final.
Bobrovsky finished with 25 saves on 27 shots. He was lights out all night.
Verhaeghe had a goal and an assist, his fifth multi-point game of the postseason.