On Wednesday, May 24th, the Florida Panthers beat the Carolina Hurricanes by a score of 4-3 in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals to sweep the series and advance to the Stanley Cup Final.
The Panthers now await the winner of the Vegas Golden Knights and Dallas Stars series, which is headed to a Game 5 tonight in Vegas, with a chance for the home team to close things out in the series.
Matthew Tkachuk
Matthew Tkachuk of the florida panthers was exceptional in the teams closeout game at home, tallying 2 goals on 4 shots, 2 hits, and 1 takeaway. Tkachuk was the star of the game, as the Panthers were awarded a power play with just under a minute remaining left in regulation, only a few minutes after Jesper Fast tied the game at 3-3 with just over 3 minutes remaining in the Third Period.
The Florida Panthers had a slow start to their game-ending powerplay, but they were able to eventually settle the puck in the Hurricanes zone with around 30 seconds left in the third period. The puck made its way to Tkachuk’s stick as the clock was ticking down.
The superstar winger showcased extreme patience as the anticipation built in the arena, as he took it behind the net and then managed to swing to the front of the net, where mayhem was ensuing with Hurricanes defenders.
Tkachuk was able to find a way to get a shot off and hit the back of the net for a Panthers power play goal with less than 5 seconds remaining in the Third Period.
Florida Live Arena went absolutely bonkers, the Florida Panthers were headed to the Stanley Cup.
In the Building
I was lucky enough to be in the building for the win – it is truly hard to put into words the emotion a buzzer-beater goal to send your team to the cup final feels. The amount of emotion and support that I’ve poured into this team felt like it had paid off.
To be able to put the words Florida Panthers and Stanley Cup Final in the same sentence feels surreal as a fan. This team earned its place in the final and will absolutely be a force to reckon with.
The only concern, however, is that the lights may be just a little too bright for this panthers team with little to zero stanley cup final experience. If the Panthers attack the cup finals with the same aggression they have all postseason, they will have a fantastic opportunity to raise the cup.
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