Eishockey

The Florida Panthers also defeated the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs. With a 2-1 overtime win, the guests made it 2-0 in the series and once again had to prove their nerves of steel in extra time.

The match winner was once again Matthew Tkachuk, who netted for the Panthers in extra time.

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The first game between Florida and Carolina could not be decided after 60 minutes. In the end, it took four overtimes and a total of 139:47 minutes of hockey before Tkachuk was able to decide the match in favor of the Panthers. The attacker went down in history as the winning goalscorer in the sixth-longest NHL playoff game.

Gudas: Praise for winning goalscorer Tkachuk

“He’s the player who’s in the right place at the right time,” Radok Gudas praised the attacker. “He’s done that for us all season and he just keeps doing it. It’s a pleasure to watch him and a pleasure to have him in the team.”

Only two days later there was another duel and again no winner could be found in the regular season. Jalen Chatfield and Aleksander Barkov were the only two players who managed to overcome the goalkeepers. Barkov’s goal belonged to the dream goal category.

“It’s what I’ve been practicing all my life,” Barkov said of his move before scoring. “When you’re playing outside, those are the things you try and then they come back to you when you have half a second to decide and then you just do it. Luckily that’s me occurred at that moment.”

Hurricanes with Tor Crisis

While Sergei Bobrovsky started again for Florida and was able to parry 37 of 38 shots, the Panthers changed their goalkeeper compared to Game 1. Antti Raanta also knew how to convince and was able to beat twice with 26 shots.

In overtime, things went much faster this time than on Thursday. Jesperi Kotkaniemi was in the penalty box from a hook when Tkachuck took heart and also decided Game 2.

In the end, it was the Panthers’ top players who made the decision. Tkachuk netted in overtime for the second straight game after failing to score in six straight games. The star in Florida dress is increasingly becoming a match winner. For the third time in the current playoffs, he was the winning goalscorer in overtime. In NHL history, he is now level with Corey Perry (2017), Maurice Richard (1951) and Mel Hill (1939), who did it before him.

While Florida’s best players stand out, the Hurricanes find themselves in a scoring trough. While they had a goal difference of 40:28 in the first two rounds, they find it difficult to get going against the strong defense from Florida and their outstanding goalman. In over 200 minutes they could only net three times. This means that over 60 minutes of play, a normal match, they score less than one goal. A worrying rate.

Panthers as overtime specialists

After 0:13 seconds in overtime, the series’ playing time tracker switched to 200 minutes. Only four other series in NHL history were able to show such a duration in the first two games. The top streak in this regard dates back to 1936, when the Detroit Red Wings and the Montreal Maroons clocked 236:30 in two matches in the semifinals. The Tampa Bay Lightning and the Columbus Blue Jackets last broke the 200-minute value in the first round in 2020 (210:27).

In the end it was again the Panthers who came off the ice as winners abroad. They have already won six extensions in the final round in 2023. Tkachuck attributed this strength to Florida getting better and better as the game progressed.

For the fifth time, they won an overtime as a guest and, in NHL history, rank level with the New York Islanders (1980) behind the Montreal Canadiens (1993-6), both of whom went on to win Stanley Cups.

Barkov: “This is where we want to be”

Otherwise, Florida feels very comfortable in the distance. The Panthers have won the last eight matches, i.e. all since game 2 of the first round. Only the Los Angeles Kings (2012) have won more consecutive away games in a playoff year (10).

Now Florida is going back to its own arena. Then on Monday (3pm ET; NHL.tv; Tue. 2am EDT) at the FLA Live Arena comes the third game of the series, in which the Panthers can force a preliminary draw should they win a third time. “We’re looking forward to coming home and being in this situation. It’s where we want to be,” said Barkov.