The third time was the charm.
Carter Verhaeghe scored the go-ahead goal off a feed from Aleksander Barkov with 7:39 left, and the reigning champion Florida Panthers advanced to their third straight Stanley Cup Final, defeating the Carolina Hurricanes 5-3 on Wednesday night in Game 5 from Lenovo Center.
Verhaeghe, who has scored 32 goals in 86 career playoff games, now has three series-clinching goals with the Panthers.
With the win, Florida also became the ninth franchise in NHL history to advance to their third straight Stanley Cup Final and the first since the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2022.