Florida Panthers try to get fans out of work and school after 4OT thriller

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The Florida Panthers and Carolina Panthers played the sixth-longest NHL game ever Thursday night into Friday morning, totaling just under 140 minutes of game play.

The game ended minutes shy of 2 a.m. on the East Coast when Matthew Tkachuk scored the game-winning goal with 12.7 seconds left in quadruple-overtime.

Given the time the game ended, the Panthers created an excuse note fans could use to get out of work or school Friday.

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Matthew Tkachuk of the Florida Panthers celebrates with teammates after scoring the game-winning goal during the fourth overtime to defeat the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Eastern Conference final at PNC Arena May 18, 2023, in Raleigh, N.C.  (Josh Lavallee/NHLI via Getty Images)

"To whom it may concern, Please excuse _______'s tardiness to ________ on May 19, 2023," the form letter said. "As you are probably aware, our Game 1 in the Eastern Conference Final against the Carolina Hurricanes went into four (4) overtime periods, and they had to stay up late to support to Cats.

_________'s support is essential to the team, and we appreciate your understanding."

It was the longest game in the NHL since the Tampa Bay Lightning and Columbus Blue Jackets played a five-overtime marathon Aug. 11, 2020, in Toronto.

Matthew Tkachuk, center, of the Florida Panthers celebrates with his teammates after scoring the game-winning goal in the fourth overtime in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final of the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs at PNC Arena May 19, 2023, in Raleigh, N.C.  (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

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