The Florida Panthers are the Eastern Conference champions after they beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-0 in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Wednesday. In the process, they completed a series clean sweep, enthusing fans.
The Panthers won the Eastern Conference title for the first time since 1996 and will now play their second Stanley Cup final. They were up 3-2 in the third period of Game 4.
Jasper Fast tied the game at 16:38, bringing the Hurricanes back into the game and setting the stage for another OT thriller. However, Matthew Tkachuk came out on top once again for the Panthers, scoring the winner on a powerplay with five seconds remaining.
Panthers fans are overjoyed after securing a spot in the Stanley Cup final and took to Twitter to share their feelings. One said:
"Stanley Cup here we come"
Here are some of the top reactions on Twitter:
How Florida Panthers-Carolina Hurricanes Game 4 panned out?
Anthony Duclair opened the scoring sheet for the Panthers within 41 seconds of the first period. Matthew Tkachuk made it 2-0 for the Panthers, notching up an assist from Aaron Ekblad into the back of the net for a power-play goal at the 10:23 mark.
Three minutes later, Paul Stastny trimmed the Panthers' lead to 2-1, slotting the puck past Sergei Bobrovsky for a wrist shot goal, moving into the second period.
Teuvo Teravainen tied the game at 2-2 for the Carolina Hurricanes within three minutes into the second period. However, seven minutes later, the Panthers regained their lead, thanks to a wrist shot goal by Ryan Lomberg.
The third period was one of the best in the entire playoffs. Jesper Fast scored a wrist shot goal from an assist from Jordan Martinook to tie the game at 3-3 for the Hurricanes at the 16:38 mark.
Matthew Tkachuk emerged the winner for the Florida Panthers for the third time in the ECF. With less than five seconds remaining, Tkachuk scored a powerplay goal to seal the Stanley Cup final spot for the Panthers and sweeping the Hurricanes in the series.
Barkov and Tkachuk had two points contributions apiece in the contest. Netminder Sergei Bobrovsky made 36 saves and ended the contest with a.923 save percentage.
The Panthers now face either the Vegas Golden Knights or Dallas Stars in the Stanley Cup Finals.