Matthew Tkachuk Celebrated by Fans for Epic 4OT Goal in Panthers' Win vs. Hurricanes

Matthew Tkachuk played the role of postseason hero once again for the Florida Panthers in their 3-2 marathon win over the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final.

With just 12.7 seconds remaining in the fourth overtime, Tkachuk broke a stalemate between the two teams when his shot got past Hurricanes goalie Frederik Andersen for the win.

The Panthers' miracle playoff run added another chapter on Thursday night. This was the sixth-longest game in NHL history at 139 minutes, 47 seconds.

The last playoff game that went this long was a 3-2 five-overtime win by the Tampa Bay Lightning over the Columbus Blue Jackets in the first round of the 2020 postseason.

After ending the game at 1:54 a.m. ET, Tkachuk's heroics were celebrated by fans and analysts.

There was a brief moment when it looked like the Panthers were going to win much earlier. Ryan Lomberg scored a goal less than three minutes into the first overtime period, but officials disallowed it when Colin White was called for goaltender interference on Andersen.

This was Tkachuk's second overtime goal of the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs. He also had the game-winner in Game 5 against the Boston Bruins on April 26 to keep the Panthers' season alive.

The Panthers had the fewest points of any team in this year's playoff field (92). They were on the brink of elimination in the first round after falling behind 3-1 to a Boston Bruins team that had a historic regular season.

Since Game 5 of that series, the Panthers have won eight of their last nine games. This was the first Game 1 loss this postseason for the Hurricanes.

Florida and Carolina will play Game 2 on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET.