Aleksander Barkov set up Carter Verhaeghe for the game-winning goal with 7:39 remaining in regulation to lift the Florida Panthers to a glorious 5-3 comeback win over the Carolina Hurricanes.
Florida will play for the Stanley Cup for the third consecutive season after eliminating the Hurricanes in five games.
The Panthers overcame a poor start that saw them sleepwalk through most of the first 27 minutes of the tilt.
Sebastian Aho took advantage of a ghastly neutral zone turnover by Gustav Forsling and scored unassisted at 4:39 and then he notched another with 66 seconds left in the first period after Seth Jarvis got a piece of the puck to force a Niko Mikkola turnover that Aho collected just outside the blue line before skating in and beating Sergei Bobrovsky off the inside of his blocker.
Evan Rodrigues drew a holding call on Jesperi Kotkaniemi at 7:07 that helped turn the tide.
Barkov came up with a key hold on the ensuing power play, and combined with Seth Jones to work the puck to Aaron Ekblad. Ekblad took the pass from Jones and moved into the middle of the ice before letting go of a wrister that Matthew Tkachuk deflected past Frederik Andersen just 16 seconds into the man-advantage.
Florida stuck again 30 seconds later when Tkachuk held up outside the Carolina blue line after reeling in a long outlet from Jones. Tkachuk slipped the puck into open ice for the incoming Rodrigues, who worked a gorgeous give-and-go with Sam Bennett. Rodrigues smacked in the crisp return pass from Bennett to get his first of the postseason, knotting the score at the 7:53 mark.
The Panthers would forge ahead at 11:59, running a set play off a face-off to perfection. Anton Lundell won the offensive zone draw to back to Brad Marchand, who cut from right to left and curled around the defense before whipping the puck into the low slot, where it found Lundell waiting stick blade.
Florida would hold the tenuous lead until 8:30 of the third, when a failure to clear cost them. After Verhaeghe couldn’t get Forsling’s backhander up the boards past Shayne Gostisbehere, the puck bounced in the air and Andrei Svechnikov was able to bat it ahead to Jarvis, who was able to chip a well-placed backhander by Bobrovsky.
Barkov would create the game-winner with a stupendous individual effort. Racing into the zone to collect Sam Reinhart’s entry pass, Barkov took the puck below the goal line and worked Dmitry Orlov from corner to corner before stepping out and centering to Verhaeghe, who ripped the puck into the top of the net for his sixth of the postseason.
Florida would have to kill off two undisciplined late penalties by Bennett (slashing) and Lundell (tripping) to get to the finish line.
Bobrovsky, who finished with 20 saves, came up big and Bennett emerged from the sin bin after serving his minor to add an empty-netter from Barkov and Reinhart to complete the scoring.
After starting the series with three-straight wins, the Panthers had to overcome a much better effort from the Hurricanes in the last two games to capture their third consecutive Prince of Wales Trophy.
The Cats await the winner of the Western Conference Final that currently sees Edmonton holding a three games to one lead over Dallas.
Well-earned, Panthers! Additional fame and glory awaits in round four.
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