May 9th: The Ultimate Day For Panthers OT Playoff Glory

The Florida Panthers and their fans just experienced a thrilling overtime victory in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference Semifinals series against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Brad Marchand etched his name in the franchise's playoff lore by doing what he has done his whole career, dramatically beating the Maple Leafs.

However, Marchand's heroics on Friday night echoed a couple of exciting playoff wins from past years. The Florida Panthers have had their fair share of overtime playoff moments, especially in recent years. Marchand's overtime goal joins two others that happened on the same day of May 9th. Let's take a trip down memory lane and look at those instances both changed those respective series dramatically

The first of these overtime goals occurred in the 1996 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Florida earned their first postseason appearance in just their third season as a National Hockey League franchise. In the first round, they easily dispatched the Boston Bruins in five games. The series victory culminated with one of the most memorable goals in team history, scored by the current radio color commentator Bill Lindsay.

In the second round, Florida faced off against the Philadelphia Flyers. The Flyers were the top team in the Eastern Conference, as they had registered 103 points in the regular season. They were led by their infamous 'Legion Of Doom' line with Eric Lindros, John LeClair, and Mikael Renberg. The Panthers opened the series with a 2-0 shutout in Game 1 in Philadelphia.

The Flyers would take the next two games to take a 2-1 series lead. In Game 4 at the old Miami Arena. Florida opened up a 2-0 first-period lead and led 3-2 entering the third period. At the 18:53 mark of the third period, Renberg tied the game off a rebound in front of John Vanbiesbrouck's crease. That set the stage for overtime, where Dave Lowry would play the role of hero.

Barely four minutes into the extra session, fan favorite Scott Mellanby was fighting for the puck behind the net. He was able to get the puck free and feed it over to defenseman Ed Jovanovski. 'Jovo Cop' would then lean in and send a wrister from the left point. Lowry, who happened to be with Mellanby behind the net, came free, screened Ron Hextall, and tipped in the goal.

That series would be knotted at two games apiece. Florida avoided a 3-1 series hole. They would then win Game 5 in Philadelphia, in overtime, off a goal from Mike Hough. In Game 6 back in Miami, the Panthers would close out the series and advance to the Eastern Conference Final. In the ECF, they would take down the Penguins in Game 7 to advance to their first Stanley Cup Final in team history.

The second time a playoff overtime goal was scored on May 9, in Florida's favor, took place three years ago. This was when the legend of 'Swaggy' first started to grow. Bill Zito took over as general manager of the Florida Panthers on September 2, 2020. During his first run of NHL free agency, he signed many of the key pieces that would lead the franchise to their 2024 Stanley Cup title.

They all grew together for several years. One of those key pieces was Carter Verhaeghe. Verhaeghe was a largely unknown forward with little NHL experience. After being drafted by Toronto in the 2013 NHL Draft, the forward would bounce around the minors through a few different organizations, before playing in 52 games for the Lightning in the 2019-20 season.

He would play eight playoff games on the team's run to the first of back-to-back Stanley Cup titles. Then, he signed a free-agent contract with the Panthers soon after. In his first year, he, along with the other key contributors to this current roster, would get their first taste of playoff action. The team took Tampa Bay to six games in the first round.

In the 2021-22 season, the Panthers won a franchise record 58 games. They won the President's Trophy and made it back to the playoffs. Waiting for them was the upset-minded Washington Capitals. Washington opened up a 2-1 series lead through the first three games. In the same situation as the aforementioned 1996 moment, the Panthers were trying to avoid a 3-1 hole.

Sam Reinhart would tie the game at the 17:56 mark of the third period to tie the game at 2. Eventually, the contest would go into overtime, where Carter would score his first Stanley Cup Playoff overtime goal. At the 4:57 mark, Verhaeghe fired a wrist shot as he entered the offensive zone. Ilya Samsonov made a kick save with his right leg pad. However, a big and juicy rebound was given up.

'Swaggy' would keep his eyes focused on the puck and retrieve the rebound. He would fire a slapper from the right face-off circle. It went past Samsonov on the right side and into the back of the net. The Panthers tied that series at 2. Florida would then go on to win Game 5 in a 5-3 shootout. In Game 6, Verhaeghe would score another overtime winner and give the team their first playoff series win since the 1996 run.