Carter Verhaeghe scored at 8:35 of overtime to propel the visiting Florida Panthers to a 4-3 victory over the league-leading Boston Bruins on Sunday in Game 7 of a first-round Eastern Conference playoff series.
Off Sam Bennett’s primary feed from behind the goal line, Verhaeghe buried a shot from the right circle to lift Florida to its third straight win, which vaulted the Panthers into a second-round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Panthers became the second team to overcome a 3-1 series deficit to defeat the Presidents’ Trophy winner in any round, joining the Montreal Canadiens, who accomplished the feat in the 2010 conference quarterfinals against the Capitals.
Brandon Montour’s second goal of the game — a one-timer from the left circle with 59.3 seconds left in the third period — forced the series’ second straight overtime game in Boston.
The Bruins trailed 2-0 before scoring three straight goals, including two in less than five minutes to begin the third. David Pastrnak’s goal at 4:11 stood as the game-winner until Montour struck in the final minute.
Sam Reinhart also scored, Anton Lundell had two assists and Sergei Bobrovsky made 33 saves for the Panthers.
David Krejci, who scored Boston’s first goal and assisted on the next two, surpassed captain Patrice Bergeron for the most career Game 7 points in Bruins history with 13.
Tyler Bertuzzi also scored, and Dmitry Orlov had two assists for the Bruins. Jeremy Swayman made 27 saves for Boston.
Boston began its three-goal comeback with back-to-back markers on the power play.
After Pastrnak drew a trip, Krejci gave the Bruins life on the ensuing man advantage and buried Orlov’s one-time feed from the left circle 7:52 into the second.
Just 55 seconds into the third, Bertuzzi tipped home Orlov’s shot from the high slot for the tying goal.
Pastrnak’s go-ahead goal at 4:11 came on a long rebound that Bobrovsky directed right to him in the left circle following a Brandon Carlo shot.
Montour lifted the Panthers to a 1-0 edge at 12:23 of the first, taking Lundell’s pass on the rush and beating Swayman with a backhand shot after the duo sliced through the Boston penalty kill.
Florida doubled the lead to 2-0 with its first shot of the middle period. Just 1:14 in, Reinhart took Eetu Luostarinen’s touch pass and fired it home.
–Field Level Media
