Good Vibes Return to the Panthers as Cardiac Cats Make Stanley Cup Final a Series

Like most sports-talk jargon, the concept of a "must-win" game has basically lost all meaning.

So for this written exercise, we're going to talk about a "must-get-rid-of-bad-vibes" game for the Florida Panthers. Down 2-0 in the Stanley Cup Final and heading back home after sustaining 5-2 and 7-2 losses, Florida absolutely had to erase the bad vibes come Game 3.

Those vibes, brought to you by poor defense, lack of discipline and roughly four million PIMS, were not the typical vibes-per-60 of the Cinderella Panthers we've come to know. Game 3 in Sunrise was not technically a "must-win," but it was a "must-vibe."

So, after everyone "F—-ing breathed," how else would perhaps the most unexpectedly clutch NHL playoff team win its first Stanley Cup Final game in franchise history?

Sometimes the best way to interpret a situation is the easiest way, and simply put, the Panthers won Game 3 and cut Vegas' series lead to 2-1 because of the Return of the Vibe. Of course, it was ushered in by yet another late-game Matthew Tkachuk goal. This time, he tied it up to force overtime with 2:13 left in regulation.

A lopsided overtime that favored Vegas was no match for The Vibes, as Carter Verhaeghe finished it off 4:27 into after-hours.

The funny thing about the win is that the Panthers didn't solve the problems that were plaguing them through the first two games. Special teams didn't help, as the Golden Knights scored both of their regulation goals on the man advantage. Meanwhile, the Panthers went 0-for-5 on their power play. It wasn't exactly their strongest performance in terms of discipline, either, with 24 total giveaways to Vegas' seven. Everything in terms of scoring chances, high-danger chances, Corsi and faceoffs was relatively even between the two teams at even strength, as it has been for the majority of time on ice through this series despite the deceptively uneven scoreboards.

As much as we love analyzing games and rosters to death, and as useful as tool analytics is, there's a time and a place. That time and place aren't in the third period of any No. 8 seed, Tkachuk-led 2022-23 Florida Panther game. And don't you dare let this team get to overtime.

"There's that belief that it can happen," Florida coach Paul Maurice told reporters after the game. "There's an intensity on the bench about good things that can happen."

The Panthers obviously disappointed last season, but you'll recall Verhaeghe scored two overtime goals in the first round last season. With Thursday's goal, he became the only player in NHL history with multiple overtime goals in consecutive playoffs.

And if it feels like these dramatic intangibles, clutchness, and overtime winners keep happening for the Panthers as a whole, you're not wrong. Florida has now won 10 straight overtime playoff games, the second-longest streak in NHL history behind the 1993-98 Canadiens (14).

Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

The magic started for this team as it snuck into the playoffs, barely making the postseason after an unbelievable loss by the Penguins to Chicago on home ice. (That led to a weird butterfly effect, but that's a story for another day.)

It carried over after a 3-1 series comeback to the regular-season dominating Bruins. Remember those late regulation goals in back-to-back games against Boston, with Eetu Luostarinen winning Game 6 at 14:22 of the third and Brandon Montour tying it up with one minute left in Game 7 regulation? The late goals and overtime heroics beginning in round one have become an identity ever since.

Tkachuk's clutch factor has given him the publicity that transcends the hockey world at this point, with a feature in PEOPLE magazine and a spot alongside Shaq on TNT's NBA show to name a few big hits.

When we think of his rise to fame, we'll certainly look back at the goal that sent Florida to the Cup Final – the heartbreaker scored with 4.9 seconds left in regulation to end Carolina's run.

He's now got seven goals in the third period or overtime this postseason. Only seven players have had more in one playoff year in NHL history, with Steve Payne holding the record at 10 in 1981 for the Minnesota North Stars.

Speaking of the overall team's spotless overtime record, the franchise is on a 10-0 playoff overtime run, but the 2022-23 Panthers specifically improved to 7-0 in overtime during the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs Thursday, becoming the fifth club in NHL history to secure at least seven overtime wins in one playoff year. Florida became the third team to claim at least seven consecutive overtime wins in a postseason.

Of course, if you're the Panthers, you'd prefer to have the series lead. You'd prefer to have a multi-goal lead in every game, and you'd prefer not to have to take it to the after hours.

But for a team that's had something to prove at every step of the way and a budding star with a personality, isn't the drama kinda fun?

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