NHL Atlantic

The Florida Panthers are facing a 3-1 series deficit ahead of Tuesday's Stanley Cup Final Game 5 against the Vegas Golden Knights, and there's some uncertainty as to whether their top player will be on the ice.

Per ESPN's Greg Wyshynski, Panthers coach Paul Maurice said the status of Matthew Tkachuk will not be revealed until Tuesday night. Tkachuk is dealing with an apparent upper-body injury.

"Update will be tomorrow," Maurice said Monday. "You'll get all that big information tomorrow night."

Tkachuk didn't skate in Florida's optional practice at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. During Saturday's 3-2 Game 4 loss, he logged just 16 minutes and 40 seconds of ice time and skated only four shifts in the third period. He had a chance to tie the game with a shot near the crease as time expired, but he couldn't convert.

MAJOR FIREWORKS TO END GAME 4 🎆 https://t.co/2wenZQW3mu

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) June 11, 2023

After the loss, Tkachuk was asked what it would take for him to miss Game 5 and he said: "That's a tough question. I don't really want to talk about that right now."

Tkachuk leads the Panthers with 11 goals and 24 points this postseason. He was the engine behind the team's run to the Stanley Cup Final, notching four game-winning goals, three of which came in overtime.

Maurice indicated on Sunday that there's a chance Tkachuk will take the ice in a limited role in Game 5.

"There are players that will play just power play. There are guys that will stay on for offensive zone draws. There's different styles of center and winger that you can play with to kind of put them in a position to be good at what they can be good at," he said.

The Panthers are attempting to become just the second NHL team ever to rally from a 3-1 deficit in a Stanley Cup Final. Florida will need Tkachuk to be in the lineup if it hopes to keep its season alive.

Florida Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk is dealing with an undisclosed ailment that could hold him out of Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final.

"We got two days off to assess that. Get some good rest and we'll make that decision [then]," Panthers coach Paul Maurice told reporters after Saturday's 3-2 loss to the Las Vegas Knights in Game 4, which put Florida on the brink of elimination.

Tkachuk was limited to 16:40 of ice time in Game 4 as he dealt with the injury and struggled to stay in peak form throughout.

"Obviously, you want to be out there playing. Just was able to go out there at the end and tried to make some magic happen late but ran out of time," Tkachuk said.

The Panthers trailed 3-0 on their home ice before mounting a comeback and narrowly missing out on tying the game as time expired. Tkachuk was among the scrum near the net peppering Vegas goaltender Adin Hill with shots and pokes near the net, and the two sides engaged in a brawl as the final horn sounded.

Tkachuk and Brandon Montour both earned 10-minute misconduct penalties as a result of the brawl, though those will not carry over for Game 5. The Panthers star has had an uncharacteristically quiet Stanley Cup Final, scoring just three points in four games.

In fact, Tkachuk's most notable statistic of this series has been his massive penalty minutes total. He's racked up 50 total minutes of penalties in four games, continuing a trend that saw him set a career high with 123 penalty minutes during the regular season.

The increased aggressiveness also helped spur a career-best 109 points, so it's fair for the Panthers to give him the leeway to mix it up on occasion. That said, given he was already hurt, scrapping at the end of a game when your team is facing elimination likely wasn't the best move.

BUFFALO -- History repeating itself is a fascinating occurrence, especially when it comes to generational talent in hockey.

In 2015, Connor McDavid was the heir apparent to Sidney Crosby as a franchise-changing superstar-to-be. That year, McDavid was followed closely behind by Jack Eichel and the lead-up to the draft saw teams tanking to have the chance to pick either of one of them. The Edmonton Oilers won the biggest prize in McDavid and the Buffalo Sabres, the league's worst team who had the best shot at the No. 1 pick, "settled" for No. 2 and Eichel.

Fast forward to the present day. Quite similarly to the 2014-15 season, teams decided to go all-in on being as bad as possible with the opportunity to draft Connor Bedard far too attractive. And just like McDavid had Eichel, Bedard has his own star-in-the-making behind him: University of Michigan star Adam Fantilli

While the Chicago Blackhawks are sitting in the same catbird seat as the Oilers were eight years ago, the Anaheim Ducks are poised to cash in with a superstar talent of their own at No. 2.

ADAM FANTILLI GIVES CANADA THE LEAD! #IIHFWorlds pic.twitter.com/RZDZEAXMWc

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) May 27, 2023

The parallels between Bedard and Fantilli haven't been as plainly stated as those between McDavid and Eichel, but the two young stars-to-be set to be picked at the end of June will forever be linked just the same. What's more, their talent backs it up.

"It's a season for the ages for both of them," NHL Director of Central Scouting Dan Marr said. "It's very difficult for a 17, 18-year-old to excel at the World Junior level and the way Connor had at every level that he played at and what Adam did, he was one of the younger players in the league and as a freshman, there's a lot at the college level, with seniors and juniors, the freshmen are at the bottom of the heap."

When you look at what Bedard and Fantilli did with their respective teams this season (Bedard with the Regina Pats of the WHL and Fantilli with Michigan) and compare them to what McDavid did with the Erie Otters and Eichel at Boston University during their draft years, you can see why it's such an accurate throwback to 2015.

2014-2015

McDavid: 47 games, 44 goals, 76 assists, 120 points (2.55 points per game)

Eichel: 40 games, 26 goals, 45 assists, 71 points (1.78 points per game)

2022-2023

Bedard: 57 games, 71 goals, 72 assists, 143 points (2.5 points per game)

Fantilli: 36 games, 30 goals, 35 assists, 65 points (1.81 points per game)

One guy excelled in the Canadian Hockey League while the other was the best of the best in the NCAA as a freshman. It's kind of spooky.

There is one slight difference between the pairs. Instead of a Canada versus United States rivalry like McDavid and Eichel, Bedard and Fantilli were teammates for Canada during World Juniors. That know each other doesn't do much to make things spicy in the grand sense, but they're competitors and they'll more than likely be rivals in the Western Conference very soon. There's also the fact that they've been in the same draft conversations for years now with Bedard being the prime focus all along. That suits Fantilli just fine.

"He's a phenomenal hockey player and he deserves everything he's getting," Fantilli said. "There's a lot of eyes on him, in terms of everything that he's going to be expected to do with the amount of success he's had in juniors and at an international level...we've been in entirely different situations and we're going to be drafted in different spots so it's going to be a different experience for both of us."

Bedard has been in the spotlight since he was granted exceptional player status by the CHL when he was 14 years old in 2020. He's been the focus of the hockey media ever since and his childhood dream is nearly fulfilled. But his eyes are on what's happening right now and staying in the moment.

"I'm focused on what's important and what I can control with my own play and my own team, of course," Bedard said. "You don't really think about that stuff, just some extra interviews and attention and whatnot. I'm just staying focused on what I need to be focused on and try to become a better player and a better person so that's how I handle it."

Bedard's focus is steely and straight ahead in the most McDavid ways imaginable, even if his description of what he's doing doesn't excite you. The goal is to make the NHL and then to become the best player he can be. That puts him straight in line to compete with the likes of McDavid, Eichel, Leon Draisaitl and the rest of the elite players in the world.

"There's a lot of words that start with 'C' that analytics can't judge for you like character, and one of them is consistency, and that he can consistently play that high character game, game in and game out, is truly impressive," Marr said.

Knowing what the first two picks of the draft are most likely going to be is not a new phenomenon in the NHL. Surprises like last year's draft where Juraj Slafkovský was the surprise No. 1 pick ahead of Shane Wright (who ultimately went fourth) are rare, so knowing the expected order of Bedard going No. 1 and Fantilli No. 2 makes this draft special and will forever link the two youngsters.

It circles back to the same dream the Oilers and Sabres had in 2015. Their example proves more has to go into making those picks to have success. That Eichel is front and center with the Vegas Golden Knights after things didn't work out with the Sabres shows the future isn't predetermined. But the greatness those players have will carry them forward The only questions left are how far they will go and how often they will have to go through each other to reach the top.

Despite getting blown out in the first two games of the Stanley Cup Final, the Florida Panthers weren't panicking when they returned home for Game 3 looking to avoid falling into an 0-3 hole.

Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk told reporters everyone "counted us out before the Final even started" after Thursday's dramatic 3-2 overtime win against the Vegas Golden Knights.

"We're that type of team where we know what the end goal [is]," he added. "We don't know how we're going to get there, but we're going to do everything we can to get there."

Tkachuk, who briefly left the game in the first period to be evaluated for a concussion, kept the Panthers' hopes alive in Game 3 when he scored an empty-net goal with 2:13 remaining in the third period to tie the score 2-2.

TKACHUK HAS TIED THE GAME WITH THE NET EMPTY 😱😱😱😱😱

THEY'RE GOING WILD IN FLORIDA https://t.co/Z2MErLrY1e

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) June 9, 2023

Carter Verhaeghe won the game for Florida with his goal 4:27 into the overtime session.

The Panthers' postseason run has been a huge surprise after a rough regular season. They had the fewest points of any team that made the playoffs (92) and had to play a Boston Bruins team that set NHL records with 65 wins and 135 points in the regular season.

After falling behind 3-1 to the Bruins, the Panthers won the final three games in the series (two in overtime) to reach the second round. That was the start of a run in which they won 11 of 12 games, including a sweep of the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final, to reach the Stanley Cup Final.

The Golden Knights dominated the first two games of the Cup Final, outscoring the Panthers 12-4.

Florida was able to respond thanks to Tkachuk's heroics and put the pressure back on Vegas going into Game 4 on Saturday night.

Florida Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk was taken off the ice in the first period of Thursday's 3-2 overtime win over the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final by the NHL's concussion spotters.

Head coach Paul Maurice confirmed to reporters after the game the league required Tkachuk be examined after taking a hard hit from Keegan Kolesar that knocked him to the ice.

Tkachuk was initially examined by a team doctor on the bench, returned for a shift later in the first period but left the bench area again and didn't return until early in the second period after clearing concussion protocol.

The two-time All-Star played a huge role in the Game 3 win by scoring an empty-net goal with just over two minutes remaining in the third period to tie the game 2-2.

TKACHUK HAS TIED THE GAME WITH THE NET EMPTY 😱😱😱😱😱

THEY'RE GOING WILD IN FLORIDA https://t.co/Z2MErLrY1e

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) June 9, 2023

"He's going to come back no matter what," Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov said of Tkachuk after the game. "He's really tough guy, and he's going to battle through everything."

Verhaeghe's overtime goal four minutes into the extra period gave Florida a potential series-saving victory. The Panthers lost the first two games in Las Vegas by a combined score of 12-4.

Sergei Bobrovsky, who was pulled in the second period of Game 2 after allowing four goals on 13 shots, had a terrific bounce-back effort. He stopped 25 of 27 shots on Thursday and had his highest save percentage in a game since Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final in a 1-0 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes.

Tkachuk's Game 3 heroics add another chapter in the book of this postseason for the 25-year-old. His 24 points are tied with Roope Hintz of the Dallas Stars for the most by any player in the playoffs.

Games 1 and 2 against the Golden Knights marked the first time Florida has lost back-to-back playoff games since Games 3 and 4 against the Boston Bruins to fall behind 3-1 in the first round. The Panthers responded by winning six consecutive games and 11 of 12 overall to reach the Stanley Cup Final.

After securing the franchise's first victory in a Cup Final game on Thursday, the Panthers will look to even the series on their home ice in Game 4 on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET.

The Florida Panthers were on the ropes throughout much of Thursday's Stanley Cup Final Game 3 against the Vegas Golden Knights, but they scored a miracle 3-2 victory on Carter Verhaeghe's overtime goal.

The win cut the series deficit to 2-1 for the Panthers, who remain undefeated in overtime during the postseason.

After Jonathan Marchessault's goal late in the second period gave the Golden Knights a 2-1 lead, the Panthers struggled to get much momentum going and looked to be on their way to a devastating loss on their home ice. However, Florida star Matthew Tkachuk came up clutch once again with a goal with 2:13 left in the third period to force overtime.

The extra period started out with the Panthers facing a power play by the Golden Knights, who scored both their goals on power plays in regulation. Fortunately for Florida, the penalty was killed and Verhaeghe broke through with a goal soon after to send fans at FLA Live Arena home happy.

Twitter was set ablaze after Verhaeghe's stunning goal, with many excited that the Panthers avoided an insurmountable 3-0 deficit:

THE PANTHERS HAVE WON IT IN OVERTIME 🚨🚨🚨🚨

WE'VE GOT OURSELVES A SERIES FOLKS 🤯 https://t.co/bs2YyZlnYk

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) June 9, 2023

Carter Verhaeghe, a Stanley Cup champion 3 years ago, delivers the @FlaPanthers' first-ever victory in a Stanley Cup Final game. @NHLNetwork

— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) June 9, 2023

Verhaeghe with a DART https://t.co/q9czZie1HB

— Mike Golic Jr (@mikegolicjr) June 9, 2023

The Panthers keep hitting on 18 and getting blackjack, as any resident of Las Vegas could tell you. https://t.co/grq4Efs2Y9

— Matt Zemek (@MattZemek) June 9, 2023

For the third time in his career, Carter Verhaeghe scores the biggest goal in Panthers history https://t.co/ARFzWCqqSw

— 🏆- Jacob @ PantherPourri, a @FlaHockeyNow Podcast (@PTPJacob) June 9, 2023

Season was looking like it was over… Panthers pull Bobrovsky with about 2:45-3:00 left… UNBELIEVABLE!!! Tkachuk ties it then a absolute bogus penalty on Panthers with :11 left.. Panthers in OT kill penalty then Verhaeghe wins it!!! #TimeToHunt

— Miami Mando 🙌🏝🏈⚾️🏀🥊🏒⛳️ (@LakersCanes305) June 9, 2023

Florida wins in OT.

We've got a series.

Game 4 is Saturday. @NHLNetwork

— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) June 9, 2023

7-0 in overtime now, cot damn

— Mike Halford (@MikeHalford604) June 9, 2023

The Panthers have now won 10 straight overtime playoff games overall, 2nd longest streak all-time behind the Montreal Canadiens (14 from 1993-1998)@ESPNStatsInfo

— ᴀʀᴅᴀ Öᴄᴀʟ (@Arda) June 9, 2023

Caught up quickly with Vinny Viola outside the Panthers locker room. He called that a franchise defining win. Hard to argue.

— David Dwork (@DavidDwork) June 9, 2023

PANTHERS WIN FIRST-EVER STANLEY CUP FINAL GAME IN OVERTIME 🙌 pic.twitter.com/wJtugwWkgo

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 9, 2023

Tha Carter Verhaeghe fresh off the Game 3 OT winner with the @NHL_on_TNT desk 🔥 https://t.co/yCOTpXAmyL

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) June 9, 2023

Florida made some silly mistakes early on with a total of eight penalties, but the team cleaned things up when it mattered most. If the Panthers can continue to play with discipline, they will have a great chance of tying the series.

The Panthers will look to keep the momentum going in Game 4 against the Golden Knights on Saturday night.

The Stanley Cup Final won't be over if the Florida Panthers lose Game 3 to the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday night, but that's basically how Panthers forward Anthony Duclair is approaching the situation.

"It's a must-win. We know the situation," he told reporters. "I think even going back to the Boston series, it's just not a position you want to be in, but at the same time, it brings the best out of us. We're just looking forward to the challenge, especially coming in at home."

Teammate Matthew Tkachuk echoed the sentiment and said Florida "can't make it a series" if it falls behind 3-0.

Winning a postseason series after losing the first three games has been done four times before: Toronto Maple Leafs (1942), New York Islanders (1975), Philadelphia Flyers (2010) and Los Angeles Kings (2014).

The Panthers also clawed back in the first round earlier this postseason after falling behind 3-1 to the top-seeded Boston Bruins, so they're no strangers to adversity.

To Duclair and Tkachuk's point, though, it would be hard to see a path forward for Florida if Vegas claims Game 3.

The performance of goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky is certainly a major concern.

The two-time Vezina Trophy winner has allowed eight goals on 46 total shots through the first two games. His save percentage is .826 in the Stanley Cup Final compared to .935 through the first three rounds. Bobrovsky got pulled after spending just 27:10 on the ice in the Panthers' 7-2 defeat in Game 2.

The NBA nearly saw their first-ever 3-0 comeback this year when the Boston Celtics evened up the Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat. But by the end, Boston was totally out of gas and lost Game 7 by 19 points. Not to mention, the Celtics needed a buzzer-beater to stay alive in Game 6 as well.

The sense of urgency Duclair and Tkachuk feel is more than warranted.

The Montreal Canadiens announced Monday they agreed to an eight-year extension with Cole Caufield that will average $7.85 million per season.

The Canadiens have agreed to terms on an eight-year contract extension (2023-24 to 2030-31) with forward Cole Caufield.#GoHabsGohttps://t.co/BZ1gBIzndL

— x - Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) June 5, 2023

TVA Sports' Renaud Lavoie reported the contract includes a no-trade clause:

No-trade clause in Cole Caufield contract. 15 teams where he doesn’t want to be traded in season 6 of the deal. 10 in season 7. 5 in the last season. @CanadiensMTL @TVASports

— Renaud Lavoie (@renlavoietva) June 5, 2023

Caufield was due to be a restricted free agent this offseason. Sportsnet's Luke Fox ranked him as the fourth-best RFA on the board in May.

The 22-year-old made 46 appearances for Montreal in 2022-23, finishing with 26 goals and 10 assists. His 36 points were third-highest on the team.

His campaign ended abruptly in January after he underwent shoulder surgery.

Caufield's impending free agency was one subplot surrounding the Canadiens all year.

"I mean, you try not to (listen), but you really can't get away from it," he told reporters in January. "It's everywhere, you hear it a lot, but for me, it's just about trying to stay away from it. It's going to happen when it happens."

Caufield also attempted to allay any fears over his long-term status in Montreal.

"I love being here. I love this team and this group of guys," he said. "So I just take it one step at a time. But for sure it's in the back of my mind."

The massive extension reflects how Caufield's shoulder surgery did little to dent his overall value. His salary will make him the second-highest-paid forward on the team behind Nick Suzuki ($7.875 million).

A perfectly fair contract for Cole Caufield that he should grow into nicely as he enters his prime pic.twitter.com/JBRRFcdTzZ

— dom 📈 (@domluszczyszyn) June 5, 2023

Caufield finished ninth in the Calder Trophy voting in 2021-22 after totaling 43 points, and he was on pace to smash that output before his shoulder injury.

Between him and Suzuki, the future of the Canadiens' forward line is bright.

Matthew Tkachuk's name might be plastered on milk cartons in South Florida on Sunday morning because he was missing in action during the Florida Panthers' 5-2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAdJmXuitFw

For the first time since May 12 and just the fourth game this postseason, Tkachuk was left off the scoresheet in what was perhaps Florida's most disappointing performance of the 2023 playoffs.

The Panthers and Golden Knights entered a pivotal third period tied 2-2 after goals from Florida's Eric Staal and Anthony Duclair and Vegas' Jonathan Marchessault and Shea Theodore.

With the game up for grabs, the Golden Knights proved to be the better team in the third period.

Zach Whitecloud put Vegas up 3-2 at the 6:59 mark of the final period before Tkachuk made what was one of the worst plays of the postseason.

At the 13:41 mark of the third period, Tkachuk attempted to flip the puck to center ice and out of the Florida zone to clear the danger. Instead, Golden Knights captain Mark Stone batted the puck out of the air before firing it past Sergei Bobrovsky to put the Golden Knights up 4-2.

MARK STONE KNOCKS IT OUT OF MID-AIR THEN BURIES IT 🤯 https://t.co/apgZJFSNMn

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) June 4, 2023

Stone's goal essentially put the game out of reach for the Panthers, though any chance Florida had to come back from down two goals was gone once Tkachuk was ejected after getting some jabs in on Nicolas Hague and Jack Eichel following a whistle.

Teammate held him while Tkachuk threw a shot 😳 https://t.co/FN9QIwVX5x

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 4, 2023

After the game, Tkachuk was ripped for his costly turnover and his lack of discipline in the third period:

The worst thing Matthew Tkachuk can do is compound mistakes. He’s frustrated, had a silly turnover that led to Stone’s goal and then his emotions get the best of him taking a dumb penalty that pulls Florida out of the game. As the Panthers emotional leader you just can’t do that.

— Adam Beck (@AdamCBeck18) June 4, 2023

https://twitter.com/RC3POX2Point0/status/1665190019970080768

What a horrific play by Tkachuk, who has been absolutely invisible tonight.

— Evan Render (@evanrender) June 4, 2023

Regardless if high stick or not that was not a smart play from Tkachuk. Costly giveaway.

— John Easthope (@vintagejohnny84) June 4, 2023

Off a tough Matthew Tkachuk turnover, too.

— Julian McKenzie (@jkamckenzie) June 4, 2023

Tkachuk cost his team. Selfish penalties at the end. Took the Panthers out of any chance of a comeback.

— Brian George (@BrianG1202) June 4, 2023

Good energy at the beginning of the 3rd for the Cats, but undisciplined play cost them. I love Matthew Tkachuk, but he has to be smarter. Vegas draws first blood. Cats will bounce back. #TimeToHunt

— x - D a n i e l - S a n (@DanLydia22) June 4, 2023

While the Golden Knights now lead the Stanley Cup Finals 1-0, it should be noted that the Panthers have been referred to as the "Comeback Cats" for a reason this postseason.

This series is far from over, and fans should expect Tkachuk to bounce back in Game 2 on Monday night.

Ahead of Saturday's Stanley Cup Final opener between the Florida Panthers and the Vegas Golden Knights, a bit of a friendly wager has occurred between the owners of the two franchises.

But only with the best intentions in mind.

Vegas' Bill Foley and Florida's Vincent Viola are partnering up to donate $100,000 at the end of the series to help support Military Families. The owner of the winning side will choose the Veterans Service Organization that will receive the donation from the owner of the losing team.

As two former members of the military, it's no surprise to see the two successful businessmen deciding to give back to these causes. Both men graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point.

Foley served in the Air Force, reaching the rank of captain, while Viola was an infantry officer in the 101st Airborne Division.

As a part of the deal, Viola selected Gold Star Teen Adventures to receive the donation from Vegas while Foley opted for The Folded Flag Foundation. Both organizations look to help the families and children of military and law enforcement members who have died.

Viola in particular has had a long-running commitment to giving back to the military. He started the Panthers' Heroes Among Us program, which gives people in the South Florida community an opportunity to nominate and honor someone who has served the country.

At every single Panthers' home game, the honorees get free tickets and are recognized on the ice during the national anthem.

Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final is set for Saturday night at 8 p.m. ET on TNT.