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Florida Panthers Defeat Carolina Hurricanes 3-2 in Overtime Classic

By Richard Jelinek

RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA - MAY 19: Matthew Tkachuk #19 of the Florida Panthers celebrates with his teammates after scoring the game winning goal on Frederik Andersen #31 of the Carolina Hurricanes in fourth overtime in Game One of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs at PNC Arena on May 19, 2023 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA - MAY 19: Matthew Tkachuk #19 of the Florida Panthers celebrates with his teammates after scoring the game winning goal on Frederik Andersen #31 of the Carolina Hurricanes in fourth overtime in Game One of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs at PNC Arena on May 19, 2023 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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The Florida Panthers continue to impress in the 2023 NHL playoffs. Last night, the Panthers defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 3-2 in four overtimes. Four overtimes. This is only game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals, which occurred at PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina. Florida forward Matthew Tkachuk scored on the fourth overtime on a wrist shot from the slot to secure the win.

Florida Panthers get early advantage in Eastern Conference finals

This series will be fun

NHL fans are in for an entertaining series. If last night’s game is any indication, this series between the Canes and the Panthers will be non-stop action. Back and forth. North to south. The speed of these two teams is unmatched  and the scoring chances come a dime a dozen. The goaltending in last night’s game was elite as well, with both goaltenders putting on a display with highlight reel saves at both ends.Good mix of speed, scoring chances, elite goaltending, and enough physical play to satisfy even the casual hockey fan.

Bobrovsky will be a factor

Panthers goaltender Bobrovsky has played outstanding in these playoffs and the performance last night was simply amazing. He saved an incredible 63 of 65 shots during the quadruple overtime in the Florida win. Bobrovsky is now 8-2 with a 2.43 GAA and a .927 save percentage.  If the Panthers are going to advance , they will need him to be the best player on the ice every night against this Carolina team. After last night, he proved he still has the potential to be one of the best goaltenders in the league. With his performance in the playoffs so far, is Bobrovsky the leading candidate for the Conn Smythe trophy?

Can Florida continue their run in the playoffs?

The Panthers continue to impress in the playoffs. They shocked the entire NHL by eliminating the top seeded, and record setting, Boston Bruins in the first round. Florida then eliminated maybe the most impressive top six in the playoffs, the Toronto Maple Leafs in round 2. Now, they take on Carolina, who was another top-tier team in the regular season. They have the momentum going after all of this and are making a case to make it to the Stanley Cup finals. With the team being this successful, something tells me they are not the underdogs anymore.

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