Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk helped put an end to the 2023 Boston Bruins season, assisting a jaw-dropping, game-winning goal in Game 7 on Sunday night at TD Garden.
After the Bruins rallied to score three consecutive goals to take a 3-2 lead, which stood until the final 59.2 seconds, the Panthers tied the nail-bitter before the end of regulation. That opened the door for Tkachuk to play the role of the biggest villain in Boston once more, which the 25-year-old did with pleasure.
Tkachuk assisted Florida's series-ending goal 8:25 into overtime -- credited to Carter Verhaeghe -- sending the Panthers to the semifinals and bouncing the Bruins right out of the NHL playoffs for good. The seven-year veteran relished the opportunity to take one final shot at the Black and Gold after already helping deliver the biggest heart-breaking shot possible.
"It really is the biggest upset in NHL history, to every single other person other than the (Panthers)," Tkachuk said postgame, per Sportsnet video. "Trust me, we knew we probably weren't the favorites against a 65-win team. But, what an unbelievable effort. Down 3-2, tie one late, overtime winner. I don't know, kind of one of those legacy games for a bunch of guys on our team and our franchise. We just did what nobody in the world thought we could do."
The Bruins had issues, particularly with Tkachuk, all series long. He totaled five goals off 22 shots with six assists to register a plus-5 rating following the best-of-seven battle. This was a soaring emergence after Tkachuk recorded just a single goal through four regular season contests against the Bruins.
Nevertheless, Boston's historic year came to a brutal end, placing the B's in disheartening company after holding a 3-1 lead over the Panthers. The Bruins become the 10th team in NHL history to lead the lead in points during the regular season, and fail to hoist the Stanley Cup at the end, according to SportsCenter.
An unbelievable end to an unbelievable year.
