In a thrilling overtime battle, Carter Verhaeghe emerged as the hero for the Florida Panthers, scoring the game-winning goal at 2:59 into the extra period to secure a 3-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series. This triumph gives the Panthers a commanding 2-0 lead heading into Game 3, which will take place on Thursday night at Amalie Arena in Tampa.
Verhaeghe’s heroics continued a remarkable run of overtime success for the Panthers’ forward. He has now registered five career playoff overtime goals, making him the sixth player in NHL history to reach that milestone. Notably, all of Verhaeghe’s overtime heroics have occurred within the last three seasons.
In the 2022 playoffs, Verhaeghe’s overtime goal in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Vegas Golden Knights proved crucial. He also delivered the Game 7 overtime goal that propelled Florida to a first-round series win over the heavily favored Boston Bruins. Furthermore, Verhaeghe contributed two overtime winners in the 2022 first-round series against the Washington Capitals, including the decisive goal in Game 6.
In Tuesday night’s contest, Verhaeghe’s overtime heroics were preceded by a strong performance from Sam Bennett, who tallied a goal and an assist. However, Bennett’s night ended prematurely due to an undisclosed injury. Vladimir Tarasenko also contributed a goal, while Matthew Tkachuk added two assists. Sergei Bobrovsky made 21 saves in net for the Panthers.
The Lightning fought back from a 2-0 deficit to tie the game in the third period, thanks to goals from Brayden Point and Steven Stamkos. Victor Hedman recorded two assists for Tampa Bay, while Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 34 shots.
