Playoff Takeaways: Panthers' Verhaeghe comes up clutch once again

Hockey fans, the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs have officially begun.

Sure, Tuesday was technically Night 4 of the big dance. But for the first time this spring a game went past three periods, meaning we all got to creep to the edge of the couch and experience the sporting bliss of NHL playoff overtime.

And, as it turns out, extra time is still Panther time.

Florida — which saw a 2-0 first-period lead evaporate versus the Tampa Bay Lighting — is up 2-0 in its series with the Bolts thanks to the fact the Cats claimed their 11^th consecutive overtime victory with a 3-2 win on home ice in Game 2. The streak — which is the second longest in league history — actually began in the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs with a fourth-period win over this same Lightning club and Florida needs three more OT victories to tie the Montreal Canadiens for the most consecutive extra-time wins in the post-season with 14.

Meanwhile, the New York Rangers also held serve at home and are up 2-0 on the Washington Capitals after escaping with a 4-3 win in Game 2 of that series at Madison Square Garden.

There is a lot to get to from both matchups, so let’s dive in.

King Carter

Panthers winger Carter Verhaeghe delivered the dagger against his old squad as he continues to build an overtime legacy that’s almost too much to comprehend. The goal that ended Game 2 came 2:59 into the fourth period and was Verhaeghe’s fifth career post-season OT snipe. That means he’s now tied with — and get a load of these names — Glenn Anderson, Patrick Kane and Corey Perry for the third-most OT markers in Stanley Cup Playoff history. The only guys with more are Maurice Richard (six) and Joe Sakic (eight).

Every player on the list ahead of Verhaeghe played at least 29 overtimes contests. Mr. Clutch for the Panthers has competed in 14, meaning he’s scored the winner in 36 per cent of the playoff action he’s ever participated in. 

Unreal.

Tkachuk already in peak form

Verhaeghe’s goal started with linemate Matthew Tkachuk making a great spin move on the half wall to work the puck to the middle of the ice and ended with No. 19 falling on top of a splayed out Andrei Vasilevskiy after the Bolts goaltender had been beaten for the winner.

Florida’s first goal — which came courtesy of Sam Bennett, who later left the game and did not return thanks to a suspected hand injury — only became official after a Tampa challenged because the Lightning believed Tkachuk interfered with Vasilevskiy’s ability to make the save.

Yes, the guy who’s in the middle of everything this time of year is right back where he belongs.

Speaking of Vasilevskiy, both he and his counterpart, Sergei Bobrovsky, were excellent in this contest. In particular, the goalies shone during the 35 minutes of goal-less hockey that occurred following Steven Stamkos pulling the Lighting even early in the middle frame. 

Bobrovsky made what will surely stand up as the save of the post-season on Matt Dumba when he spun around in his crease and took a sure goal away from the Tampa D-man with a backhand glove save for the ages.

The Russian 'tenders came to play and might be engaged in the best goalie battle of the first round.

New guys thrive

Vladimir Tarasenko, a deadline pickup by Florida from Ottawa, scored the Panthers’ second goal of the opening frame with just five seconds left on the man advantage. On the other side of the ice, former San Jose Shark Anthony Duclair assisted on the goal from Brayden Point that got Tampa on the board early in the second and inserted some life in a team that had just three shots on goal in the first period.

Duclair also had a glorious chance to effectively end the game with a partial breakaway in the final minute of the third period, but couldn’t squeeze the puck past Bobrovsky.

In New York, Jack Roslovic — acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets in March — sniped a beautiful power-play marker for the Rangers. 

Where’s Ovi?

Alex Ovechkin played his 148^th career playoff game on Sunday in Game 1 against the Rangers and for just the fourth time in his post-season history, the Russian goal god failed to get a shot on net. In Game 2, Ovechkin put just a single puck on Igor Shesterkin. In fact, he only had two attempts on goal and neither one was deemed a high-danger chance by the site Natural Stat Trick.

Not only did Ovi fail to provide offence, he had a hand in the Rangers scoring their fourth goal of the game with Washington on a second-period power play. Ovechkin was standing along the boards just on the Caps side of centre when Connor McMichael sent him a cross-ice pass that banked off the wall. No. 8 couldn’t handle a puck that — to be fair — skipped a little on him and his bobble was quickly capitalized on by Mika Zibanejad, who started a rush that soon produced a shorthanded goal from K’Andre Miller that wound up being the game-winner.

Ovechkin — after an awful first half of the season — was obviously much better in the final months of the year, but he’s yet to look like himself through two games versus the Blueshirts.

Special teams the story at MSG

The shorthanded goal by Miller that started with Ovechkin mishandling the puck was an absolutely beauty, with the D-man charging into the zone and receiving a pass from Zibanejad in the high slot before he wired it home past Charlie Lindgren.

That tally was one of five special-teams markers in the contest, as there were four power-play goals to go along with Miller’s shortie. 

Both teams scored two goals with the man advantage, which has to be viewed as at least a small win for the Capitals because the Rangers had successfully killed of 21 straight penalties before Dylan Strome finally broke through early in the second with the first playoff goal of his Caps career.