With the seconds draining, with the moment calling, Matthew Tkachuck moved unhurried with the puck, even as everything accelerated before him. Bodies piled up. Defenders twisted to reach him.
Tkachuk, his mouthpiece hanging out as always like a dog’s chew toy, moved across the front of the Carolina net, as if there weren’t only a handful of seconds left in the game, as if he might be able to personally hold back the second-hand of time if it caused a problem, considering his other feats of magic during the Florida Panthers’ improbable run through the postseason.
Three overtime goals. A franchise-record in playoff points. One goal already this Game 4 and now this oh-so-deliberate coup de grace to Carolina.
