Carter Verhaeghe scores overtime winner; Panthers win first playoff series since 1996

The Florida Panthers entered Friday's Game 6 with the opportunity to win a playoff series for the first time since the 1996 Eastern Conference Final.

Despite there being no score after twenty, the first period didn't go as the Panthers had hoped. By the end of it, they were down to four defencemen due to injuries to Aaron Ekblad and Ben Chiarot. Fortunately for the Panthers, both players returned for the start of the second period.

Chiarot and Ekblad return for second— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) May 14, 2022

The scoring started early in the second period. Nearly four minutes into the frame, Capitals forward Nic Dowd got his team on the board to take a 1-0 lead. Just over two minutes later, the Panthers responded. Forward Ryan Lomberg tied things up at 1-1.

Nic Dowd gets the @Capitals fans on their feet with the first goal of Game 6. 🗣️ #StanleyCup

🇺🇸: TBS ➡️ https://t.co/5JVKnAGmzK
🇨🇦: @Sportsnet ➡️ https://t.co/4fAJLK3bRJ pic.twitter.com/f9Xw1qVqP3— NHL (@NHL) May 14, 2022

Ryan Lomberg with the answer. 🚨#StanleyCup | #TimeToHunt pic.twitter.com/nV6cerZ5Ft— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 14, 2022

Less than two minutes into the third period, Capitals veteran forward Nicklas Backstrom tipped in a shot from defenceman Justin Schultz for his second of the playoffs, putting Washington up 2-1.

Washington would hold onto that lead for just over six minutes before Florida's big trade deadline acquisition, Claude Giroux, beat Ilya Samsonov clean five-hole to tie the game at two goals a piece.

Backstrom sticks it through 👀#StanleyCup | #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/iTuSyw68IQ— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 14, 2022

Giroux goes 5️⃣-hole to even this one up. 🚨#StanleyCup | #TimeToHunt pic.twitter.com/Pi09rMG9wu— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 14, 2022

Later on in the third period, with 5:43 remaining, Claude Giroux passed the puck through a pair of Washington Capitals, who were in front of the net, to captain Aleksander Barkov. Barkov then fired the puck into the open side past Samsonov to give Florida their first lead of the night.

SASHA BARKOV GIVES US THE LEAD pic.twitter.com/iU6o78LkgY— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) May 14, 2022

Just over a minute remaining in the third period, Florida Panthers defenceman Gustav Forsling too a tripping penalty and Washington capitalized. T.J. Oshie scored his sixth of the series to tie the game at 3-3. The game headed to overtime for the first-time in the series.

CHAOS. 😳#StanleyCup | #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/vUcddHGbqG— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 14, 2022

Early in the overtime period, Carter Verhaeghe scored the overtime winner to send the Panthers to the second round for the first time since 1996. Verhaeghe was easily Florida's best player throughout the series, tallying twelve points (six goals, six assists) in six games.

CARTER VERHAEGHE WINS IT FOR FLORIDA IN OT AND THE PANTHERS WIN THE SERIES 🤩 pic.twitter.com/OYGDs699so— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) May 14, 2022

The Panthers will now await the winner of the Tampa Bay Lightning-Toronto Maple Leafs series which will conclude on Saturday night with Game 7. The second round series will likely begin at some point early next week.

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