Florida Panthers star Anthony Duclair didn't waste any time getting the team on the scoreboard in Game 4 of the NHL Eastern Conference Finals against the Carolina Hurricanes, as he quickly found the back of the net in less than a minute.
To be more specific, Duclair needed just 41 seconds (FORTY-ONE!) to break the deadlock and put the Panthers ahead in the contest. After cleaning up the rebound following a series of misses from Florida at the goal line, he hit home the goal to the surprise of the Hurricanes.
Anthony Duclair scores just 41 seconds into the game 🤯 pic.twitter.com/USlKS3crQ5
— NHL on ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsNHL) May 25, 2023
Carolina entered the game trailing the series 3-0 and facing a real possibility of a sweep, so Anthony Duclair's early goal was the last thing they wanted to start the contest. It got the Panthers offense going as they ended the first period with a 2-1 lead.
Making things even better for Duclair, his 41-second goal actually made team history. Apparently, it is the third-fastest goal for the franchise in NHL Playoffs history, behind only Stephen Weiss' 23-second score in Game 2 of the 2012 Conference Quarterfinals and Jody Hull's 30-second hit in Game 3 of the 1996 Conference Quarterfinals, per NHL PR.
Furthermore, it is worth noting that Florida has never lost in a series-clinching game where they scored first. They are 5-0 in such instances, which is definitely a great sign for Florida and a bad omen for Carolina.
It remains to be seen if Duclair and the Panthers can keep the momentum going throughout Game 4, but based on what we've seen so far from them, there's really no reason to doubt the franchise at this point.
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