In Raleigh, it was nearly as agonizing as Thursday’s Game 1, but Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final still went to extra time on Saturday. 
On Saturday night, Matthew Tkachuk scored off the power play at 1:51 of overtime to give the Florida Panthers a 2-1 series lead over the Hurricanes.
Tkachuk scored with 12 seconds gone in the power play and converted off a nifty set of passes between Sam Bennett and Sam Reinhart before receiving the puck on the right side of the crease.
“Great pass to start by ‘Bennie’ and a great pass by ‘Rhino’ there to make it really, really easy for me,” Tkachuk said. “I just feel like we get better as the game goes along, so hopefully we continue that trend.”
Tkachuk also ended the marathon Game with 13 seconds left in the fourth extra session.
The Panthers lead the series, 2-0, heading home to Sunrise for game 3 on Monday night.
“Neither team cheats the game because it’s tight,” Florida coach Paul Maurice said. “The two teams are pretty disciplined in their game, it stays tight. They’re both comfortable in that game. It is that tight. We’ve been doing this for a couple months.”
Sergei Bobrovsky made 37 saves in the Panthers win.
“[Necas] sold the shot very well. I bought it,” Bobrovsky said. “And then in the last moment, I was able to hold my feet and get the push. They made a great play, I just got lucky on it.
“I have a belief. We have a great group of guys. Again, it’s a privilege for me to be in the group of guys and to help these guys as well.”
Carolina took an early 1-0 lead on a strike by Jalen Chatfield at 1:43 of the opening stanza.
Carolina was scoreless on three power play chances.
“Obviously, it stings,” Hurricanes forward Jordan Martinook said. “We wanted to get the one tonight to split it going back (to Florida), but now our mindset is we’ve got to go get that next one and we’ll go from there. But you get to overtime and it’s a toss-up and they get the power play and get their goal tonight. So, we’ve got to have a mindset to get that next game.
One minute after taking the lead, the Panthers’ Gustav Forsling appeared to tie the game, but the goal was waved off after review for offsides.
“It’s tough because, again, these are the tough losses,” Brind’Amour said. “You’re right there and you know you maybe should’ve had it tonight. It is what it is, though. So, we’ll do the same routine we just kind of came through. … We’ve been kicked in the teeth here a lot in these last few years and we’ve always responded, so I’m pretty sure that we will the next game.”
The Panthers had the one strike in three power play chances.
“We definitely created the opportunities and that’s what you’re looking for,” Brind’Amour said. “I think I saw an empty net tonight. We all thought it went in and [Bobrovsky] made a great save (on Teravainen). So, he’s making great saves, for sure. It’s a bounce here or there and we could’ve been up 2-0. We’re not. The reality of it is we’re not.
“We’re in a hole, but we’ve just got to keep digging.”
“I thought we had the better of it, just haven’t found a way to score,” Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “You’re right there and you know maybe you should have had it tonight, and it is what it is.
“We’ve been through this, so 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. I’m pretty sure we will the next game.”
The Panthers finally got even at 7:43 of the middle frame on a marker from Aleksander Barkov.
“I don’t know if I can tell you everything about that,” Barkov said. “It’s just whatever I practice throughout my whole life, when you go and skate outdoors. You practice those and they get back in your head. Whenever there is half a second, you have to decide. You just do it. Thankfully that came to my mind at that point.”
Barkov attempted a between the legs move above the crease, then pulled the puck forward for a backhand goal.
“Obviously, we’d like to get a few more goals, especially when we’re buzzing like that,” Hurricanes center Jordan Staal said. “I think one goal wasn’t going to cut it tonight. We had our chances, we had our looks to score a lot more than that, and they didn’t go in tonight.”
There was not much celebration for the Panthers, Tkachuk asked for the exit way to the dressing room be opened as soon as he scored.
Antti Raanta made 24 saves in the Canes loss.
“We’re going to have to find a way,” Staal said. “We knew it wasn’t going to be easy and we’re going to have to find ways to get some mojo going, and maybe a little greasy road win will get us going.”
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