Matthew Tkachuk was heroic again for the Florida Panthers on Thursday night, virtually keeping his team's season alive by tying Game 3 late against the Vegas Golden Knights before teammate Carter Verhaeghe scored in overtime to earn the team its first Stanley Cup Final win in franchise history.
But before the Panthers avoided going down 0-3 with a gutsy 3-2 overtime win at FLA Live Arena, Tkachuk was absolutely crushed by Keegan Kolesar early in the game, forcing him to leave the contest.
The young superstar was trying to control the puck in the middle of the ice when Kolesar laid a devastating check on the forward. Although Tkachuk tried to stay in the game and was on the ice for the team's powerplay right after, he was eventually accompanied to the Panthers locker room.
Keegan Kolesar with a hit on Matthew Tkachuk. 😳 pic.twitter.com/qw8kUj1C7g
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) June 9, 2023
Florida fans breathed a sigh of relief when he returned to the game, and coach Paul Maurice confirmed afterwards that the superstar was pulled for reasons outside the team's control.
“Paul Maurice confirms Matthew Tkachuk was pulled out of the game by the league concussion spotter,” wrote The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun late on Thursday night. “Cleared protocol to come back.”
Despite the devastating check, Tkachuk knew he would be returning.
“I knew I was coming back,” he said afterwards.
Although it was a huge hit, it didn't seem like it caught the American up high, and he looked fine when he returned, eventually scoring one of the biggest goals of the team's season with just over two minutes to play.
Verhaeghe did the rest in overtime, and Florida earned themselves a chance to tie the series at two games apiece on Saturday night at FLA Live Arena.
The Florida Panthers and Miami Heat are now both down 2-1 in their respective championship series, and Jimmy Butler's team will look to even things up on Friday in South Florida before Matthew Tkachuk's Panthers try to do the same 24 hours later.
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