The Florida Panthers needed better efforts from their top players if they were going to get back into the Stanley Cup Final against the Vegas Golden Knights.
They got it as Carter Verhaeghe scored at 4:27 of overtime, Matthew Tkachuk had a goal and assist and goalie Sergei Bobrovsky rebounded from being pulled in Game 2 to beat the Golden Knights 3-2 on Thursday night and cut their series deficit to 2. -1.
Jonathan Marchessault and Mark Stone each had a goal and an assist to give Vegas a 2-1 lead heading into the third period. But Tkachuk, who returned after being knocked out of the game briefly, tied the game with 2:17 left in the third period.
It was the first Stanley Cup Final win in Panthers history. They had been swept in their lone previous appearance in 1996.
Bobrovsky (25 saves) got back to form as Florida went short-handed six times, including a late third-period penalty that carried into overtime.
Game 4 is Saturday in Sunrise, Florida.
Matthew Tkachuk leaves the game after a hit but returns
Tkachuk knocked Vegas’ Jack Eichel out of Game 2 when he hit the Golden Knights center, whose head was down.
Tkachuk had his head down in Game 3 and was about to turn up the ice when he was hit by Kolesar in the first period. He stumbled when he got up. He went to the dressing room after skating one more shift.
But like Eichel, Tkachuk was able to return to the game, going out for a shift 4:26 into the second period.
Tkachuk scored three game-winners in the Eastern Conference final but had been limited to one goal in the first two games of the Final and received three misconducts.
New father Brandon Montour scores for Panthers
Montour had flown home from Las Vegas after Game 1 after learning that his wife Ryan had gone into labor. He arrived in time for the birth of their son Kai, then got back to T-Mobile Arena in time for Game 2.
Thursday, as the series shifted to FLA Live Arena, Montour put the Panthers ahead 1-0 at 4:08 of the first period when he wristed a shot from between the faceoff circles past Adin Hill.
That ended a 10-game point drought for Montour, but it was his seventh goal of the playoffs.
Notes
Panthers defenseman Radko Gudas returned for Game 3 after being knocked out of Game 2 by an Ivan Barbashev hit. The two received roughing penalties after a collision in the third period. … The Panthers went back to using 12 forwards and six defensemen in the game. Forward Zac Dalpe returned to the lineup and defenseman Casey Fitzgerald sat out.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Stanley Cup Final: Panthers beat Golden Knights in overtime of Game 3