By: Austin Mendes
The Florida Panthers celebrate their four-overtime game 1 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes.
SUNRISE, FL - The Florida Panthers were the final team to enter the Stanley Cup playoffs following the Pittsburgh Penguins losing 3 of their last 5 games in the regular season, while the Florida Panthers won 3 of their last 5, and gained a point off of an April 10 overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The reigning Presidents' Trophy winner barely made the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Panthers solidified the 8th seed in the eastern conference. They would be set to face off against the Presidents' Trophy winner, the best regular season hockey team in the history of the NHL, the Boston Bruins. Surely, the team who went 65-12-5, who had the most wins and points in NHL history would beat the last team in the playoffs, right?
It didn't play out like that...
Boston would take a 3-1 series lead following a 6-2 victory in Game 5 in Florida. The Panthers had their backs against the wall with the series going back to TD Garden in Boston, where the Bruins had dominated throughout the regular season. The Panthers would go to overtime as goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky made a heroic save with seconds left off a breakaway from Bruins winger Brad Marchand. The Panthers would go onto win the next two games and force a game 7 in Boston.
Game 7 was forced to overtime as the Panthers tied the game with under a minute to go. In overtime, Carter Verhaeghe would launch a shot past Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman, sending the Panthers to face off against the Toronto Maple Leafs in round two.
Panthers' Matthew Tkachuk celebrates in Game 7 against Boston following the series clinching goal from Verhaeghe.
Following the collapse of the Bruins, the Maple Leafs were now favorites to take home the prestigious trophy.
The Panthers would go into Toronto and take the first two, then took game 3 in Sunrise. Florida's quick 3-0 lead shocked hockey fans across the globe. The Maple Leafs would bounce back in game 4 in Florida, sending the series to Toronto for game 5, with Leaf fans across the world hoping Matthews and company could complete the reverse sweep.
In game 5, the Panthers would jump out to an early 2-0 lead with a powerplay goal from Aaron Ekblad, and an even strength goal from Carter Verhaeghe in the first period. The Maple Leafs would spark their comeback thanks to Morgan Rielly in the second period, then tie is with 15 minutes left in regulation from William Nylander. Overtime would be needed to decide this one. In overtime, Nick Cousins would win it and send the Panthers to the conference finals, eliminating the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Panthers celebrate defeating the Maple Leafs in Game 5.
The new favorite...? The Carolina Hurricanes, the Panthers' next opponent.
Game 1 was a historic battle between the two teams going into quadruple overtime. The Canes struck first thanks to a goal in the first from Seth Jarvis. The Panthers would respond in the second with two goals, one from captain Aleksander Barkov, and Carter Verhaeghe respectively. Stefan Noesen of the Hurricanes would tie the game with 3 minutes to go in regulation. That would be the last scoring from either team for the next 3 periods. With 13 seconds to go in the 4th overtime, Matthew Tkachuk played the hero again, ending the 5 hour and 43 minute game.
Game 2 would end in similar fashion, but significantly shorter, as Matthew Tkachuk scored 2 minutes into overtime to win the first two games for Florida in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Matthew Tkachuk celebrates the game winning goal in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
The series shifted to Sunrise, Florida where the Panthers took game 3 over the Hurricanes thanks to a singular goal from forward Sam Reinhart off of a powerplay goal in the second period.
Led by Matthew Tkachuk, Aleksander Barkov, and Sergei Bobrovsky, the Cinderella story continues for the Florida Panthers.
With the Panthers leading the series against the Carolina Hurricanes 3-0, they look to close the series in front of their fans at the FLA Live Arena on Wednesday, May 24. Will they close it out and advance to the Stanley Cup Finals?
Panthers' Anthony Dunclair (10) chases down Hurricanes' Sebastian Aho (20)
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