By Andrew Phillip Chernoff | CanucksBanter

June 10, 2023

Will the Florida Panthers deliver again in Game 4 and even up the series at 2-2?

Matthew Tkachuk came up big with a huge goal in Game 3 to force overtime.

Carter Verhaeghe became the first player in NHL history to have multiple OT winners in consecutive StanleyCup Playoffs, with his Game 3 winning goal in overtime.

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Vegas and Florida will take the ice at FLA Live Arena Saturday night for Game 4, with the the Panthers looking to guarantee a Game 6 and another game in Sunrise, Florida.

The 2017 Predators (vs. PIT), 2011 Bruins (vs. VAN), 2010 Flyers (vs. CHI), 2009 Penguins (vs. DET) and 2003 Ducks (vs. NJD) in the past 30 years are the only teams to even the Stanley Cup Final at two games apiece when dropping the first two games of the Final on the road.

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Matthew Tkachuk, Carter Verhaeghe, Sergei Bobrovsky and Sam Bennett will have to play pivotal roles again tonight in Florida’s quest for the Stanley Cup.

Or will the Vegas Golden Knights wage a spirited game in Game 4 and put Florida on the brink of elimination and go up 3-1 in the series?

As a team, the Golden Knights are averaging 4.40 goals per game in contests immediately following a loss in 2023 – the highest among all teams (next closest: EDM, BOS & SEA, 4.00 GF/GP). Their 2.00 goals against per game in contests immediately following a loss is tied with the Avalanche and Maple Leafs for the second fewest among all teams and trailing only the Hurricanes (1.83 GA/GP).

Vegas is 4-1 in games following a loss this postseason, thanks in part to the play of Jonathan Marchessault (3-5—8 in 5 GP) and Jack Eichel (3-5—8 in 5 GP). Their 1.60 points per game in that scenario is tied for the fourth highest in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs (min. 5 GP) behind only Connor McDavid (2.00 P/GP; 3-7—10 in 5 GP), Leon Draisaitl (1.80 P/GP; 5-4—9 in 5 GP) and Roope Hintz (1.63 P/GP; 5-8—13 in 8 GP).

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Adin Hill has played three times after losing this postseason and responded with a victory twice (2-1, 2.38 GAA, .924 SV%, 1 SO). After his loss in Game 5 of the Conference Finals, he joined New Jersey’s Akira Schmid (Game 7 of R1) as the second goaltender in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs to rebound back from a loss with a shutout.

Source: NHL Morning Skate: Stanley Cup Final Edition – June 10, 2023

By Dan Rosen @drosennhl / NHL.com Senior Writer

June 8, 2023

SUNRISE, Fla. — Carter Verhaeghe scored 4:27 into overtime, and the Florida Panthers came back to defeat the Vegas Golden Knights 3-2 in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final at FLA Live Arena on Thursday.

Florida earned its 10th consecutive overtime win dating to Game 3 of the 2021 First Round and became the second team in NHL history to win 10 consecutive overtime games (single or spanning postseasons). The Panthers joined the Canadiens (14 GP from 1993-1998).

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Vegas leads the best-of-7 series 2-1. Game 4 is here Saturday.

Verhaeghe got the puck from Sam Bennett and scored with a wrist shot from inside the blue line that got through traffic and beat Adin Hill on the glove side.

Matthew Tkachuk had tied it 2-2 for the Panthers at 17:47 of the third period, scoring from in front off the rebound of Verhaeghe’s one-timer from the right point. 

Florida killed a Vegas power play that extended 1:48 into overtime before Verhaeghe scored. Gustav Forsling was called for tripping Chandler Stephenson with 12 seconds left in the third.

Brandon Montour scored, and Sergei Bobrovsky made 25 saves for the Panthers, who are 7-0 in overtime in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Jonathan Marchessault and Mark Stone each had a goal and an assist, and Hill made 20 saves for the Golden Knights.

Florida won despite going 0-for-5 on the power play and giving up two goals on its penalty kill. 

Montour gave the Panthers a 1-0 lead 4:08 into the first period with a bar-down wrist shot from the top of the left face-off circle. Tkachuk had the assist.

It was Montour’s first goal in 11 games.

Stone scored Vegas’ first power-play goal of the game to tie it 1-1 at 16:03. He moved across the crease and used his backhand to redirect Marchessault’s shot during a 4-on-3 advantage. 

Marchessault stayed red-hot by scoring the Golden Knights’ second power-play goal, making it 2-1 at 14:59 of the second period. 

Jack Eichel carried the puck below the right circle and found Marchessault at the left face-off dot with a pass through a bunch of sticks. Marchessault beat Bobrovsky with a one-timer into the top left corner.

Marchessault has four goals in three games in the series. He has points in eight straight games (eight goals, five assists) and 13 goals in the past 13 games.

Florida went on its fourth power play of the game 1:27 after Marchessault gave Vegas the lead, but the Panthers again could not connect, dropping to 0-for-4 in the game and 0-for-11 in the series.

They also came up empty after going on a power play at 7:22 of the third before Tkachuk tied it late.

The Panthers won their first ever Stanley Cup Final game tonight after missing doing so in the 1996 SCF, becoming the 11th franchise in NHL history to win their first Stanley Cup Final game in overtime. The only other franchises to do so that debuted in the 1990s or later are the Hurricanes (Game 1 in 2002), Ducks (Game 3 in 2003), and Sharks (Game 3 of 2016).

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Source: nhl.com