Matthew Tkachuk scored the game-winning goal in the fourth period of overtime and the Florida Panthers won 3-2 against the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals series.
Carter Verhaeghe, with a goal and an assist, and Aleksander Barkov scored the other goals for the Panthers. Sergei Bobrovsky made 63 saves.
Seth Jarvis, with a goal and an assist, and Stefan Noesen scored for the Hurricanes. Frederik Andersen finished the game with 58 saves.
The Panthers took control of the puck in the first minutes of play, getting the first shots of the game.
With 7:43 left in the first period, Sam Bennett was kicked out for sending the puck into the stands. The Hurricanes did not score, but took the opportunity to gain momentum.
Sebastian Aho hit the post in a two-on-one with just under three minutes to go.
The Hurricanes then got a five-on-three power play and Jarvis made the Panthers pay by scoring his fourth of the playoffs with 12 seconds remaining in the period.
Despite their power play advantages, the Hurricanes finished the first period just two more shots than the Panthers, leading 12-10 in shots after 20 minutes.
The Panthers got their first power play in the series, with 16:27 left in the second period, when Brett Pesce cross-checked Ryan Lomberg.
With 8:53 to go in the engagement, Martin Necas batted Gustav Forsling.
Despite missing their chances, the Panthers recovered well a few minutes later. With 4:32 left in the second period, Barkov fired a good wrist shot that beat Andersen to make it 1-1
Verhaeghe doubled the Panthers’ lead soon after, completing a nice streak by shooting from the face-off circle to Andersen’s left.
The Panthers finished the period up 2-1 and leading 18-17 in shots.
The Hurricanes tied the game early in the third period on the power play as Noesen completed a superb passing game with Jarvis and Necas.
It was the fourth of Noesen’s series, which lodged the puck on the side of Bobrovsky’s mitt.
The rest of the third period was the business of the Hurricanes, who dominated in attack. With two minutes remaining in regulation, the Panthers had just one shot in the third period. They finished this one with two shots, against 14 for the locals.
After 2:35 of play in overtime, Ryan Lomberg thought he had given the Panthers the victory with his first goal of the playoffs, but the goal was canceled for obstruction against the goaltender.
The decision didn’t seem to shake the team, which immediately attacked the Hurricanes net on the next face-off and forced Burns to take a penalty. The Panthers, however, did not get a shot during the power play.
After scoring chances on each side, both teams went all the way to the fourth period of overtime. Tkachuk closed the books late in the period, with 13 seconds left in overtime, shooting into the top of the net to beat the keeper and give the victory to his team.