SUNRISE, Fla. — The Florida Panthers needed more than 60 minutes and a multi-goal comeback just to get past one of the worst teams in the NHL on Friday, but they did what they had to in order to keep their postseason hopes afloat.
The Panthers beat the Chicago Blackhawks, 4-3 in overtime, in a game which very nearly encapsulated everything wrong with Florida this year, only for the desperate Panthers to seize up just enough of a push in the third period to avert disaster.
Florida was down 2-0 with less than 12 minutes to go and then had a lead in the final minute before needing overtime to fend off the Blackhawks. Trying to hang around in the hunt for the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Panthers put together a roller-coaster performance befitting their up-and-down season.
