Tkachuk’s OT winner gives Panthers 2-0 ECF lead
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Greg Wyshynski, ESPN
RALEIGH, N.C. — Matthew Tkachuk didn’t need four overtimes to score the game-winning goal this time. He just needed one to give the Florida Panthers a 2-0 series lead in the Eastern Conference finals over the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Panthers star winger’s power-play goal at 1:51 of the first overtime gave his team a 2-1 win on Saturday night. Game 1 of the conference final was the sixth-longest Stanley Cup playoff game in NHL history, lasting four overtimes until Tkachuk’s goal at 19:47.
On Saturday, with Carolina forward Jesperi Kotkaniemi in the penalty box for hooking, the Panthers’ Sam Bennett passed to Sam Reinhart, who found Tkachuk for a quick shot that beat goaltender Antti Raanta high.
“It’s been a lot of hockey in the last two games. It’s just great to end it early,” said Tkachuk, who netted his seventh goal of the playoffs. “Great pass to start by Benny, and a great pass by Rhino there to make it really, really easy for me. It was awesome.”
The Panthers improved to 6-0 in overtimes during this playoff run. For Tkachuk, it was his third overtime winner of the postseason.
Just like he did when the Panthers won Game 1 in the fourth overtime, Tkachuk pointed to the exit of the rink and led his Panthers off the ice to celebrate.
For the Hurricanes, it was a frustrating night full of close calls and missed opportunities. They came out blazing in the first period, at one point outshooting Florida 17-1. They went 0-for-3 on the power play after converting twice in Game 1.
“This is not new to us. We’ve been kicked in the teeth here a lot these last few years, and we’ve always responded,” Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour said.
Carolina opened the scoring just 1:43 into the game. Winger Stefan Noesen skated in with a shot that Florida goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky blocked to the opposite corner. That’s where Sebastian Aho found it and quickly sent a pass to a cutting Jalen Chatfield, who deflected it past Bobrovsky for his first career playoff goal.
Florida appeared to tie the game moments later on a Gustav Forsling shot that sailed through traffic. But Carolina used a coach’s challenge, believing the play was offside. Video review determined Panthers center Bennett didn’t have possession of the puck, as he crossed the blueline before it did. It was ruled no goal, and the Hurricanes maintained their lead.
The Hurricanes had a goal of their own taken off the board with 4:04 left in the period. A nice passing play from forward Mackenzie MacEachern — who replaced Derek Stepan in the lineup for Game 2 — set up a Jack Drury shot that beat Bobrovsky to the high glove side. But the Panthers used a coach’s challenge, and the officials determined the play was offside. No goal, again.
Florida tied the game at 7:43 of the second period on a patient goal from captain Aleksander Barkov, who had just served a holding penalty that the Panthers killed off.
Florida’s forecheck didn’t allow Carolina to clear its defensive zone. As defenseman Josh Mahura kept the puck at the blue line, Barkov snuck behind four Carolina defenders and received a pass alone in front of Raanta. Barkov brilliantly deked Raanta, faking like he was going to shoot the puck through his legs, before waiting out the goalie and beating him with the backhand.
Panthers coach Paul Maurice said he had never before seen a move like that succeed. As his next line hit the ice after the goal, Maurice said he quickly caught a replay of Barkov’s goal on the bench monitor.
“Oh, my god, he just did that. That’s so awesome,” Maurice said. “It doesn’t change. You’re a coach in the league for a long time and you still have those absolute fan moments.”
On TNT’s intermission show, no less a goal-scoring authority as Wayne Gretzky praised Barkov’s tally.
“We’ve all seen guys through the legs now, right? It’s become kind of an art. A lot of guys try it. A lot of guys do it. But to see him in a Stanley Cup playoff game — under the gun, pressure situation, down 1-0 — to make that move? That’s one of the greatest moves I’ve seen in the Stanley Cup playoffs,” Gretzky said.
Barkov was overwhelmed by Gretzky’s praise after the game.
“I’m pretty sure he scored a lot of bigger goals, but it’s nice coming from him, for sure,” said Barkov, who explained that he practiced the move while playing outdoors when he was younger.
Bobrovsky was brilliant in the second period, making key stops on a Paul Stastny deflection and a Teuvo Teravainen shot in close. The third period saw the Panthers’ Colin White nearly break the tie, sliding the puck across the crease with Raanta out of his net. The Hurricanes had a power play with just over six minutes remaining but couldn’t convert.
By the end of regulation, the score remained 1-1, and Bobrovsky had stopped 35 of 36 shots.
Just 1:51 into overtime, the game was over.
It was the Panthers’ first power-play goal in six tries against the Hurricanes’ penalty kill, ranked No. 1 in the postseason for a unit that Maurice called “a beast” before Game 2.
“We knew coming into the series we’re going to have a whole bunch of power plays that look terrible. But what you can’t have is your players losing their confidence and changing the way they think,” Maurice said.
The Hurricanes started Raanta after goalie Frederik Andersen played four overtimes in Game 1. Raanta, 34, last appeared in the Hurricanes’ Game 5 loss against the New York Islanders on April 25 in the first round; Andersen took over the crease and won Game 6, and he had started every previous game since then.
Andersen and Bobrovsky both played 139 minutes, 47 seconds in Game 1.
Maurice didn’t hesitate in naming Bobrovsky his starter for Game 2.
But Brind’Amour indicated after Game 1 that a load-management decision for his goaltenders was under consideration.
“You have to. The guy played the whole game,” he said.
Brind’Amour wouldn’t commit to Andersen or Raanta for Game 3 on Monday night in Florida, saying he had confidence in both goaltenders.
“We’ve got two guys we can throw in there. That’s certainly not our issue,” he said.
The issue is the other goaltender. Bobrovsky has now stopped 100 of 103 shots he has faced in this series for .971 save percentage.
“We haven’t gotten a bounce yet,” Brind’Amour said. “Hopefully, we’ll get one because that’s what we’re probably going to need.”
The 2025 MLB All-Star Home Run Derby is fast approaching — and the field is set.
Braves hometown hero Ronald Acuna Jr. became the first player to commit to the event, which will be held at Truist Park in Atlanta on July 14 (8 p.m. ET on ESPN). He was followed by MLB home run leader Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners, James Wood of the Washington Nationals, Byron Buxton of the Minnesota Twins, Oneil Cruz of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Junior Caminero of the Tampa Bay Rays, Brent Rooker of the Athletics and Jazz Chisholm Jr. of the New York Yankees.
On Friday, however, Acuna was replaced by teammate Matt Olson.
With all the entrants announced, let’s break down their chances at taking home this year’s Derby prize.
Full All-Star Game coverage: How to watch, schedule, rosters, more
2025 home runs: 17 | Longest: 434 feet
Why he could win: Olson is a late replacement for Acuna as the home team’s representative at this year’s Derby. Apart from being the Braves’ first baseman, however, Olson also was born in Atlanta and grew up a Braves fan, giving him some extra motivation. The left-handed slugger led the majors in home runs in 2023 — his 54 round-trippers that season also set a franchise record — and he remains among the best in the game when it comes to exit velo and hard-hit rate.
Why he might not: The home-field advantage can also be a detriment if a player gets too hyped up in the first round. See Julio Rodriguez in Seattle in 2023, when he had a monster first round, with 41 home runs, but then tired out in the second round.
2025 home runs: 36 | Longest: 440 feet
Why he could win: It’s the season of Cal! The Mariners’ catcher is having one of the greatest slugging first halves in MLB history, as he’s been crushing mistakes all season . His easy raw power might be tailor-made for the Derby — he ranks in the 87th percentile in average exit velocity and delivers the ball, on average, at the optimal home run launch angle of 23 degrees. His calm demeanor might also be perfect for the contest as he won’t get too amped up.
Why he might not: He’s a catcher — and one who has carried a heavy workload, playing in all but one game this season. This contest is as much about stamina as anything, and whether Raleigh can carry his power through three rounds would be a concern. No catcher has ever won the Derby, with only Ivan Rodriguez back in 2005 even reaching the finals.
2025 home runs: 24 | Longest: 451 feet
Why he could win: He’s big, he’s strong, he’s young, he’s awesome, he might or might not be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. This is the perfect opportunity for Wood to show his talent on the national stage, and he wouldn’t be the first young player to star in the Derby. He ranks in the 97th percentile in average exit velocity and 99th percentile in hard-hit rate, so he can still muscle the ball out in BP even if he slightly mishits it. His long arms might be viewed as a detriment, but remember the similarly tall Aaron Judge won in 2017.
Why he might not: His natural swing isn’t a pure uppercut — he has a pretty low average launch angle of just 6.2 degrees — so we’ll see how that plays in a rapid-fire session. In real games, his power is primarily to the opposite field, but in a Home Run Derby you can get more cheapies pulling the ball down the line.
2025 home runs: 20 | Longest: 479 feet
Why he could win: Buxton’s raw power remains as impressive as nearly any hitter in the game. He crushed a 479-foot home run earlier this season and has four others of at least 425 feet. Indeed, his “no doubter” percentage — home runs that would be out of all 30 parks based on distance — is 75%, the highest in the majors among players with more than a dozen home runs. His bat speed ranks in the 89th percentile. In other words, two tools that could translate to a BP lightning show.
Why he might not: Buxton is 31 and the Home Run Derby feels a little more like a younger man’s competition. Teoscar Hernandez did win last year at age 31, but before that, the last winner older than 29 was David Ortiz in 2010, and that was under much different rules than are used now.
2025 home runs: 16 | Longest: 463 feet
Why he could win: If you drew up a short list of players everyone wants to see in the Home Run Derby, Cruz would be near the top. He has the hardest-hit ball of the 2025 season, and the hardest ever tracked by Statcast, a 432-foot missile of a home run with an exit velocity of 122.9 mph. He also crushed a 463-foot home run in Anaheim that soared way beyond the trees in center field. With his elite bat speed — 100th percentile — Cruz has the ability to awe the crowd with a potentially all-time performance.
Why he might not: Like all first-time contestants, can he stay within himself and not get too caught up in the moment? He has a long swing, which will result in some huge blasts, but might not be the most efficient for a contest like this one, where the more swings a hitter can get in before the clock expires, the better.
2025 home runs: 23 | Longest: 425 feet
Why he could win: Although Caminero was one of the most hyped prospects entering 2024, everyone kind of forgot about him heading into this season since he didn’t immediately rip apart the majors as a rookie. In his first full season, however, he has showed off his big-time raw power — giving him a chance to become just the third player to reach 40 home runs in his age-21 season. He has perhaps the quickest bat in the majors, ranking in the 100th percentile in bat speed, and his top exit velocity ranks in the top 15. That could translate to a barrage of home runs.
Why he might not: In game action, Caminero does hit the ball on the ground quite often — in fact, he’s on pace to break Jim Rice’s record for double plays grounded into in a season. If he gets out of rhythm, that could lead to a lot of low line drives during the Derby instead of fly balls that clear the fences.
2025 home runs: 19 | Longest: 440 feet
Why he could win: The Athletics slugger has been one of the top power hitters in the majors for three seasons now and is on his way to a third straight 30-homer season. Rooker has plus bat speed and raw power, but his biggest strength is an optimal average launch angle (19 degrees in 2024, 15 degrees this season) that translates to home runs in game action. That natural swing could be picture perfect for the Home Run Derby. He also wasn’t shy about saying he wanted to participate — and maybe that bodes well for his chances.
Why he might not: Rooker might not have quite the same raw power as some of the other competitors, as he has just one home run longer than 425 feet in 2025. But that’s a little nitpicky, as 11 of his home runs have still gone 400-plus feet. He competed in the college home run derby in Omaha while at Mississippi State in 2016 and finished fourth.
2025 home runs: 17 | Longest: 442 feet
Why he could win: Chisholm might not be the most obvious name to participate, given his career high of 24 home runs, but he has belted 17 already in 2025 in his first 61 games after missing some time with an injury. He ranks among the MLB leaders in a couple of home run-related categories, ranking in the 96th percentile in expected slugging percentage and 98th percentile in barrel rate. His raw power might not match that of the other participants, but he’s a dead-pull hitter who has increased his launch angle this season, which might translate well to the Derby, even if he won’t be the guy hitting the longest home runs.
Why he might not: Most of the guys who have won this have been big, powerful sluggers. Chisholm is listed at 5-foot-11, 184 pounds, and you have to go back to Miguel Tejada in 2004 to find the last player under 6 foot to win.
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