The Florida Panthers are one win away from the Stanley Cup Finals. And the Carolina Hurricanes are pulling out all the stops to extend this series. Even if “all the stops” lands a bit below the belt.

The first period of Game 4 ended with the Panthers holding a 2-1 lead. A scrum between the two teams broke out, and Hurricanes star Brent Burns found company in Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk.

The two exchanged words as their teammates got into it off to the side. Burns decided to cup-check Tkachuk, hitting him below the belt as a referee attempted to break the two up. The refs did not penalize Burns for the incident.

As the second period began and fans realized no penalty was called, some took to social media to vent their frustrations with the decision.

Despite the cheap shot, Tkachuk may have the last laugh. Florida opened the scoring 41 seconds into the game thanks to a goal from Anthony Duclair. Tkachuk then extended the Panthers lead to 2-0.

Carolina is not going away quietly, however. Veteran Paul Stastny put the Hurricanes on the board late in the first period. And in the second period, Teuvo Teravainen tied the game.

The tie game did not last, as Panthers forward Ricky Lomberg scored his first goal of the playoffs. As things stand now, the Panthers hold on to a 3-2 lead and are on the brink of the Stanley Cup Finals.

If Florida pulls off a win on Wednesday night, it marks Florida's first Stanley Cup Finals appearance since 1996. The Panthers fell to the Colorado Avalanche that season in a four-game sweep.