Ryan Gagne
On Thursday night, the Florida Panthers avoided getting swept in the 2023 Stanley Cup Finals with a roaring comeback, resulting in a 3-2 overtime win over the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 3. Even though the Panthers looked lifeless most of the contest, tempting fate with an endless parade to the penalty box, they rode a hot Sergei Bobrovsky (25 saves) to victory.
Interestingly, there was a point in the first period when Panthers playoff hero Matthew Thachuk appeared headed into concussion protocol. Despite spending almost 15 minutes of game time in the dressing room, he returned to score the game-tying goal with 2:13 left in regulation.
After a successful penalty kill to start the extra stanza, Carter Verheaghe fired home the winner just 4:27 into overtime to give the Panthers a chance to claw back into this series.
Historically, teams who open the Stanley Cup Final by winning the first two games are 31-3 all-time, with only the 1967 Montreal Canadiens, 2009 Pittsburgh Penguins, and 2011 Boston Bruins able to come back and win the championship. As the teams prepare for Game 4 on Saturday at FLA Live Arena, another win by the home team would turn the series into a best of three.
Related: Takeaways from Vegas Golden Knights Game 2 win over the Florida Panthers
Matthew Tkachuk brings energy to a lifeless team and building
Although the Panthers scored the game’s first goal just 4:08 into the contest, the Golden Knights dominated most of the play, thanks in part to plenty of opportunities on the man advantage. Whether winning the physical battles, getting more pucks on Bobrovsky, or just causing the Panthers to play aggressive hockey, Vegas looked poised to get one game closer to winning the Stanley Cup.
Then a scramble in front of Adin Hill allowed Tkachuk to do what he’s done the entire playoffs: score a timely goal to give his team the best chance to win.
Statistically, after setting up the first goal and firing home the equalizer, he now moves into a tie for playoff scoring with Roope Hintz with 24 points. During his first season in Florida, he’s already set many team records, including goals, game-winners, and points in just 19 playoff games.
At this stage of the postseason, everyone knows that if the Panthers have a chance at winning, they need Bobrovsky at the top of his game and Tkachuk to lead the offensive attack. Although the team appeared dormant Thursday night, one shot off his stick may have just saved this series and given the Panthers a new lease on life.
Florida Panthers escape with an undeserving but much-needed overtime victory
As mentioned, the Panthers ultimately had no business winning Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Despite being down only one goal heading into the third period, the team couldn’t stay out of the penalty box, gifting the Golden Knights six power play opportunities. Even though they had five man-advantage chances of their own, Florida has yet to score a power-play goal in the series, pushing its total to 0-for-12.
Ultimately, Vegas got complacent at the end, probably thinking ahead to Game 4, so easing up on the gas allowed a scrappy Florida team to get two goals and give this series an entirely new trajectory. Statistically, the only categories the Panthers won on the night were penalty minutes and takeaways. Realistically, the team escaped with a win, despite being outhit, having more shots blocked, and failing to gain possession off of faceoffs.
Even the announcers pointed out how quiet the building was, hosting their first Stanley Cup Finals game in 27 years, and there was not much to cheer about for almost 58 minutes. Then, within a six-minute window of game time, everything changed, and the Panthers won their first game in the Final and defeated the Golden Knights for the first time in their history.
Related: Takeaways from Vegas Golden Knights Game 1 win over Florida Panthers
Vegas Golden Knights lose killer instinct in dying minutes
Getting close to winning the Stanley Cup is every player’s dream, so in the dying minutes, with a potential 2-1 victory in Game 3, the Golden Knights would have been just 60 minutes away from winning it all. Naturally, teams either get tense or ease up, shifting their focus to the future instead of on the now. Ultimately, that happened in Sunrise on Thursday night, as the pesky Panthers planted doubt about being an easy elimination.
Now, Bobrovsky, who had a terrible first two games, getting the hook in Game 2, bounced back and got a much-needed win. If he’s warming up again, fans should expect this series to go the distance because he’s that good when he’s on his game. Furthermore, Tkachuk scored for the second straight game and recaptured some of that magic from the previous series.
Even though the Panthers were outplayed from start to finish in front of their fans, the team found a way to win, just like they did against the mighty Bruins in the first round. Consequently, if they come out and even the series in Game 4, the pressure will shift to the Golden Knights, who will need to figure out how to end the Cinderella run of the Panthers once and for all.
