Matthew Tkachuk once again plays OT hero, tying impressive NHL mark
Nearly 24 hours after scoring a goal to end an epic four-overtime contest, Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk played hero again on Saturday, tallying another extra-session game-winner over the Carolina Hurricanes to deliver his team to a win in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final.
After Thursday's grueling affair, Tkachuk wrapped things up early in Game 2, scoring 1:51 into OT.
The winning play came after Panthers' Joshua Mahura forced a hooking call on Jesperi Kotkaniemi. At that point, Tkachuk and Florida's powerplay went to work. Only 12 seconds into the man advantage, tic-tac-toe passing from Sam Bennett and Sam Reinhart opened up a perfect lane for a cutting Tkachuk, who beat Hurricane's goaltender Antti Raanta.
For Tkachuk, it's his third OT goal of the playoffs, tying him with Corey Perry (207), Maurice "Rocket" Richard (1951) and Mel Hill (1939) for the most in NHL history.
According to OptaStats, Tkachuk is only the second player ever to score OT winners in each of the first two games of a series on the road, joining Richard in 1951.
After the game, Tkachuk told Sportnets' Kyle Bukauskas that Saturday's extra time, while short, "probably one-upped the last one."
The Panthers trailed 1-0 after the first period, which included disallowed goals on both sides. Florida tied the game in the second period on a spectacular goal by Aleksander Barkov and the teams went to OT after a scoreless third.
From then on, the Panthers rode goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, who had another outstanding postseason showing, turning away 37-of-38 Hurricanes shots.
With the Panthers up 2-0 in the conference final, the series now shifts to Sunrise, Florida, for the next two games. The Panthers will look to take a commanding 3-0 lead when they host the Hurricanes for Game 3 onMonday at 8 p.m. ET.
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