The Florida Panthers staged a dramatic late-game rally in Game 4 against the Tampa Bay Lightning, netting two goals within 11 seconds to secure a 4-2 comeback victory and take a commanding 3-1 lead in their first-round playoff series.
Tampa Bay had their own explosive moment earlier, scoring twice in just 11 seconds through Mitchell Chaffee and Erik Cernak after Florida’s Anton Lundell had opened the scoring.
The Panthers responded in the final minutes of the third period, with Aaron Ekblad tying the game at 16:13 and Seth Jones giving Florida its first lead just 11 seconds later.
Carter Verhaeghe capped off the win with an empty-net goal at 18:20.
Following the game, Brad Marchand reflected on the team’s mindset during the comeback.
“Belief is a dangerous thing, and we had that,” Marchand said. “I don’t think we’re sitting on the bench thinking we’re going back [to Tampa] 2-2. We believe that we can make a play. You’re one shot away at that time.”
The Panthers acquired Brad Marchand at the trade deadline after his 16-season tenure with the Boston Bruins. As of Game 4, he has tallied two assists and holds a plus-four rating.
Head coach Paul Maurice emphasized the importance of the comeback win, noting that it puts Florida in a strong position to move on to the second round.
“We haven’t had a lot of these this year,” Maurice said. “It has been tough. We had key guys out of the lineup. So, we don’t have the history of the comeback and that’s a little tougher.
”It was really important mentally to come back.”
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