Tkachuk Ends Marathon Game With Goal in Fourth OT

Good morning and happy Friday, May 19th.

Many of yesterday’s poll participants were on it as 53.85% of you predicted the Panthers would win game 1 last night. But we doubt that many of you stayed up to see the ending. 😴🎉

Today’s lineup:

• Tkachuk finally ends marathon game with 4OT snipe

• Western Conference Finals preview, game 1 tonight

• Why Ryan Lomberg’s OT goal didn’t count

• And a lot more… 👇

The surging Florida Panthers defeated the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals and it took them parts of two days to do it.

Matthew Tkachuk scored with 12.7 seconds remaining in the fourth overtime to give the Panthers a 3-2 win and end a marathon game that lasted nearly six hours. Sam Bennett passed the puck to Tkachuk after Carolina defenseman Jaccob Slavin’s clearing attempt hit a referee.

It is the sixth-longest game in NHL history. The puck was dropped at 8:10 p.m. on Thursday and Tkachuk’s shot from the right circle entered the net at 1:54 a.m. on Friday.

The two teams will play Game 2 on Saturday, roughly 42 hours after ending Game 1.

It was Tkachuk’s second overtime tally of this postseason. He now has 17 points in these playoffs, tying Dave Lowry’s 27-year-old team record.

Florida defenseman Brandon Montour logged more than 57 minutes, 56 seconds of playing time and Brent Burns led Carolina at 54:33.

Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky set a Florida team record with 63 saves. Carolina goalie Frederik Andersen with 57 stops, including 39 in the overtime periods. Those are also team records.

Only nine players have played more minutes in a game than Montour since the NHL started tracking ice time in 1997-98.

The game just needed another minute, plus two seconds, to be the fifth-longest overtime game in NHL history. The longest overtime, between the Detroit Red Wings and Montreal Maroons in the 1936 Stanley Cup Final, was decided late in the sixth overtime.

The Panthers are 5-0 in overtime games during this playoff run and are 8-0 in overtime playoff games since 2021.

☝️ Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals is tonight at 8:30 PM ET in Vegas. After earning 111 points in the regular season the Vegas Golden Knights earned the #1 seed in the Western Conference and therefore considered the favorites against the Dallas Stars. But don’t forget, the Stars accumulated 108 points this regular season including winning all three games in their season series against the Golden Knights.

Vegas, led by Jack Eichel (14 points) and Mark Stone (12 points), is averaging 3.73 goals per game — the most among the four remaining playoff teams. But also enter the series with the worst power play (17.5%) and penalty kill (60%) of the four remaining teams — granted, their PK did just have to deal with the Oilers’ insane power play.

Dallas, led by Roope Hintz (19 points) and Joe Pavelski (8 goals), is averaging 3.62 goals this postseason, while carrying an impressive 31.7% power play and 83.3% penalty kill success rate into the series.

And while Adin Hill has been impressive this postseason since Laurent Brossoit sustained an injury in game 3 against Edmonton, every analyst would admit the Stars have the edge in net as Jake Oettinger has been a beast this postseason.

These two teams last faced one another in the playoffs in the 2020 Western Conference Final with Dallas winning the series in 5 games.

PREDICTIONS:

Kevin: Vegas in 7

Brandon: Dallas in 7

Matthew Tkachuck’s 2nd OT-winner of the year puts him 2nd on Florida’s all-time list for playoff overtime goals. Who sits number one?

• Why Lomberg's OT goal for Panthers didn't count vs. Hurricanes

• Golden Knights look to shut down Stars with big, physical defensemen

• DeBoer brings Stars to face former team with trip to Stanley Cup Final on line

• O'Ree receives honorary doctorate degree from University of New Brunswick

• 'Nothing off the table': Emotional Kyle Dubas is ready for change

• GM: Kraken players pleased after playoff run, but still not satisfied

• Oilers face crucial off-season looking to learn important lessons from playoff exit

• What hockey gains by staying the course in Arizona

• Keys to the offseason for NHL teams, including free agency plans

• Rantanen looks to continue winning ways at World Championship

• Quick goal line give-and-go for a shot drill

• Simple (not easy) mohawk while stickhandling drill

Carter Verhaeghe’s 3 playoff overtime goals sits him atop the Florida Panther’s all-time list.