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June 9 (UPI) -- Carter Verhaeghe rifled in a wrist shot from beyond the circles, beating Adin Hill glove-side, and leading the Florida Panthers to a comeback win, cutting into the Vegas Golden Knights Stanley Cup Final series lead. Verhaeghe netted the deep attempt 4:27 into overtime of the 4-2 Game 3 triumph Thursday at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Fla. He also logged an assist.
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"In the two games in Vegas, we were kind of running around," Verhaeghe told reporters. "We got back to how we play" on Thursday.
Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk also registered a goal and assist in Game 3. Defenseman Brandon Montour also scored for the Panthers, who trail 2-1 in the best-of-seven game series.
"All that was on our minds was to get the win," Tkachuk said. "It didn't matter how we were going to be able to do it. We just knew what the result had to be and we got it. It makes you feel a lot better, too."
Game 4 will be Saturday in Sunrise.
"They all counted us out before the Final even started," Tkachuk said. "Being in that position [0-2 in series] probably added to it.
"We are that type of team where we know what the end goal [is] for us. We don't know how we are going to get there, but we know we are going to do everything we can to give ourselves an opportunity to have that."
Montour lit the lamp 4:08 into the first period for an initial Panthers lead. Golden Knights winger Mark Stone tied the score when he scored off a power play with 3:57 left in the period.
Golden Knights star forward Jonathan Marchessault pushed the score to 2-1 with another power-play goal with 5:01 remaining in the second period.
Verhaeghe and defenseman Aaron Ekblad then assisted Tkachuk for a game-tying score with 2:13 remaining in regulation. That score forced overtime.
Ekblad started that sequence when he fired a pass from the left to right side, finding Verhaeghe above the circles. Verhaeghe then fired the puck toward the net. The shot got away from Hill and went toward the back post. Tkachuk skated into the area and finished the play with a shot into the net.
Forward Sam Bennett and defenseman Gustav Forsling assisted the Verhaeghe score less than five minutes into the bonus period.
Bennett poked the puck away from the Golden Knights in transition to spark that score. Forsling first collected the puck and sent a pass back to Bennett on the right flank.
Bennett then fired a feed to Verhaeghe as he reached the blue line. Verhaeghe corralled that pass, slid his blade on the puck and snapped his wrists, sending the powerful shot into the right side of the net and beating Hill for the victory.
The Panthers are now a perfect 7-0 in overtime this postseason. Verhaeghe, who also scored an overtime winner against the Boston Bruins in the first round, is the first player in NHL history to score multiple overtime goals in consecutive postseasons. He also led the Panthers to two overtime wins during the 2021-22 postseason.
Puck drop for Game 4 of the 2023 Stanley Cup Final is scheduled for 8 p.m. EDT Saturday at FLA Live Arena. The game will air on TNT. Game 5 will be Tuesday in Las Vegas.
