With their season essentially on the line, the Florida Panthers once again thrived in overtime.
Carter Verhaeghe fired a wrister from the slot into the back of the net 4:27 into overtime, lifting the Panthers to a 3-2 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final on Thursday night. Despite trailing 2-1 in the series, Florida now has momentum and continues to excel in overtime.
“We’re the Cats,” Verhaeghe said, celebrating his fourth career playoff overtime goal. “We have however many lives, but it’s awesome. It shows how great our team is, and the guys on our team have no quitting.”
The Panthers are now 7-0 in overtime this postseason, winning more games in extra time than in regulation.
“We don’t know how we’ll get there,” said Matthew Tkachuk, who tied the game with 2:13 left in regulation. “But we’ll do everything we can to get there.”
Tkachuk’s late goal gave Florida the chance, and Verhaeghe’s winner marked the Panthers’ first victory in a Stanley Cup Final game in seven attempts. The Panthers had to kill off a power play at the start of overtime, and Verhaeghe capitalized with Tkachuk providing traffic in front of the net.
“I had a little bit of time to walk in and shoot,” Verhaeghe said. “I’m so happy it went in.”
Game 4 is set for Saturday night.
“There’s a little bit of collective confidence,” said Florida coach Paul Maurice, whose playoff teams are 23-7 in overtime games.
Sergei Bobrovsky made 25 saves for Florida, while Adin Hill stopped 20 shots for Vegas but couldn’t stop the only shot he faced in overtime.
“Normally, that’s a shot we’re going to give up, get the save, and move on,” said Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy. “It wasn’t like an odd-man rush through the middle, so I didn’t mind how we defended it. … I mean, they’ve got good players. They’re going to make some plays.”
Brandon Montour also scored for Florida. The Panthers pulled Bobrovsky late in the third for an extra attacker, and Tkachuk, who had missed parts of the first and second periods after a big hit and concussion protocol, made the most of it by tying the game.
His goal electrified a nervous crowd. However, the Panthers were incensed when Gustav Forsling was called for tripping with 11.2 seconds left in regulation, though replays showed they had a case. Florida survived that scare and, a few minutes later, revived its hopes in the series.
“Nobody cares how we got here,” Tkachuk said. “It’s a 2-1 series.”
While the odds are still against them, the Panthers have more statistical hope now. Of the previous 55 teams to trail 2-1 in the Stanley Cup Final, 11 have rallied to win the Cup.
It’s a tall order, but the Panthers have defied the odds throughout the playoffs, including overcoming a 3-1 deficit to Boston in the first round. They were also 133 seconds away from trailing this series 3-0 but now have renewed optimism.
“We found our legs a little bit,” said Florida’s Sam Reinhart.
Jonathan Marchessault and Mark Stone scored power-play goals for Vegas. Marchessault’s goal was his 13th in the past 13 playoff games and his fourth in this series.
Vegas joined the 1980 New York Islanders as the only team to score at least two power-play goals in three consecutive Cup Final games. Marchessault also became the third player in the last 35 years to score in the first three games of a Cup Final, joining Steve Yzerman (1997, Detroit) and Jake Guentzel (2017, Pittsburgh).
However, it wasn’t enough to put Vegas up 3-0 in the series.
“I didn’t mind our game,” Cassidy said. “They made a play in overtime. … Sometimes that happens to you.”
Around the Rink
Florida’s previous 0-6 record in Stanley Cup Final games was still far from the franchise futility record. St. Louis lost its first 13 games in the Cup Final. … Before Thursday, Florida’s last home game in the Cup Final was on June 10, 1996, when Uwe Krupp scored in the third overtime for a 1-0 win, finishing a four-game sweep for Colorado. … Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, NBA great Charles Barkley, and former Dolphins star Dan Marino were among the notable figures in the crowd. Marino also served as the celebrity drummer to welcome the Panthers onto the ice.