The Florida Panthers delivered one of the most improbable comebacks in franchise history Friday night, erasing a three-goal deficit in the final minutes of regulation before stunning the Carolina Hurricanes 4-3 in a shootout.
Down 3-0 midway through the third period and still trailing 3-1 with less than five minutes remaining, the Panthers ignited a furious rally behind extra-attacker goals from Sam Bennett and Sam Reinhart. Evan Rodrigues then sealed the victory with the lone goal in the shootout as Florida extended its torrid stretch of play.
According to the NHL, it marked the first time the Panthers have ever won a game when trailing by three goals in the final 10 minutes of regulation.
Florida finally broke through midway in the third when Brad Marchand scored to make it 3-1, his 20th goal of the season. The tally carried historic significance, as Marchand became the third-oldest player in Panthers history to reach the 20-goal mark, joining Jaromir Jagr (43) and Joe Nieuwendyk (39). In his first full season with Florida, Marchand is 37.
With Sergei Bobrovsky pulled for an extra attacker with about 4:40 remaining, the comeback accelerated rapidly. Bennett scored seconds later to cut the deficit to 3-2, sending energy surging through the building. Reinhart then completed the stunning rally, blasting home the tying goal with just 41.8 seconds left to force overtime.
Neither team found the winner in the extra session, setting the stage for Rodrigues, who calmly beat Carolina goaltender Brandon Bussi in the shootout to cap the comeback.
Bobrovsky finished with 26 saves for Florida, which has now won seven of its last eight games. The victory was also the Panthers’ second three-goal comeback in less than two weeks, after rallying past Columbus 7-6 on Dec. 6.
Carolina appeared firmly in control earlier in the night. Jordan Staal opened the scoring at 11:53 of the first period, and Sebastian Aho took over in the third, scoring twice for the second consecutive game. Aho struck early on a breakout and added a power-play goal at 12:26, just over a minute after Marchand was called for cross-checking — a decision that left the Panthers bench visibly stunned.
Bussi, who attended training camp with Florida this fall before being claimed by Carolina, was outstanding despite the loss. He made 38 saves and suffered just his second defeat in 13 starts this season as the Hurricanes saw their five-game winning streak snapped.
The teams won’t have long to dwell on the dramatic finish. The Hurricanes head to Tampa Bay on Saturday, while the Panthers return home to host the St. Louis Blues, riding the momentum of a comeback that will be remembered as one of the most remarkable in franchise history.
