Panthers Fans Want Matthew Tkachuk Statue After Consecutive OT Goals vs. Hurricanes

Matthew Tkachuk is the king of clutch.

The Panthers superstar scored in overtime for the second straight game to help Florida defeat the Carolina Hurricanes 2-1 in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Saturday night at PNC Arena in Raleigh.

Florida took a 1-0 series lead on Thursday when Tkachuk scored in the fourth overtime period to help the Panthers win 3-2.

The "Comeback Cats" now hold a 2-0 series lead over the Hurricanes with play set to shift to Florida for Games 3 and 4 at FLA Live Arena.

The Panthers and Hurricanes were deadlocked after three periods following goals by Florida's Aleksander Barkov and Carolina's Jalen Chatfield, and many fans were dreading the possibility of another four-overtime game.

However, Tkachuk had other plans, ending the game just 1:51 into overtime to send the Panthers home with the opportunity to sweep the series.

Tkachuk, who spent the first six seasons of his career with the Calgary Flames, put together the best campaign of his career in his first year with the Panthers, notching 40 goals and 69 assists for 109 points in 79 regular-season games.

The 25-year-old has been even better in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, tallying seven goals and 11 assists for 18 points in 14 games. His 18 points are a franchise record for most points in a single playoff year.

After the team's latest win, fans are ready to crown Tkachuk the king of South Florida:

With the way Tkachuk and the Panthers are playing, it's very possible they reach the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since the 1995-96 season. That said, there's still a lot of series left, and they need two more wins to clinch a berth in the finals.

Game 3 between the Panthers and Hurricanes is set for Monday at 8 p.m. ET in Florida.