Panthers rally in Stanley Cup Final Game 3, top Golden Knights in OT - ESPN

SUNRISE, Fla. — The Cardiac Cats are back.

The Florida Panthers' 3-2 overtime win in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final on Thursday night cut the Vegas Golden Knights' series lead to 2-1. Matthew Tkachuk tied the game with 2:13 left in regulation. Carter Verhaeghe scored 4:27 into the extra session to win it and, in the process, pushed the Panthers' overtime record to 7-0 in the playoffs.

Tkachuk said after two disastrous games in Vegas to open the series, the Panthers felt many didn't believe they could rally in the series.

«I mean, they all counted us out before the Final even started,» said Tkachuk. «We're that type of team where we know what the end goal [is]. We don't know how we're going to get there, but we're going to do everything we can to get there.»

The victory didn't just get Florida back in the series — it was a historic moment in franchise history. This was the Panthers' first-ever win in a Stanley Cup Final game, having been swept by the Colorado Avalanche in 1996 and losing the first two games of this series in Vegas.

«It's amazing. I'm not gonna lie,» said captain Aleksander Barkov, who has spent the first 10 years of his career with Florida. «I've been here for a long time, and this is the best time in my life right now. To play in front of that crowd and be battling for something you've been dreaming of since literally when I was born.»

At the heart of that winning effort were three players: Tkachuk, Verhaeghe and goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, all of whom made the difference in Game 3.

Tkachuk factored in on both Panthers goals in regulation. He set up defenseman Brandon Montour for the game's opening goal in the first period. It was the first point for Montour since Game 2 of the second round.

«That's