"This game is longer than the Bruins postseason run" - NHL Twitter filled with memes as Panthers beat Hurricanes after 139 minutes

By Abhishek Dilta

Modified May 19, 2023 06:56 GMT

NHL Eastern Conference Finals Game 1 between the Florida Panthers and the Carolina Hurricanes kept fans up late at night, lasting 139 minutes and 47 seconds to make it the sixth-longest game in the sport's history.

Matthew Tkachuk's wrist shot goal ended the game with 13 seconds remaining in the end of the 4th OT. The Panthers now lead the series 1-0.

The Panthers got the opportunity to clinch the game 2:35 minutes into the first overtime after Ryan Lomberg scored an unassisted goal for the team. However, after the video review, the goal was waved off because of the goalie interference rule.

NHL Fans watching Game 1 of the series between the Panthers and Hurricanes were exhausted by the length of the game and took to Twitter to react to the game with some hilarious tweets. One fan tweeted:

"This game is now almost longer than the Bruins whole postseason run"

Here are some of the best reactions to the NHL Eastern Conference Finals Game 1 across Twitter:

Matthew Tkachuk's goal in the 4th OT ends NHL's sixth-longest game

Florida Panthers v Carolina Hurricanes - Game One

Seth Jarvis gave the Carolina a 1-0 lead at the 19:48 mark of the first period after he converted an assist from Sebastian Aho for a slap shot goal on a powerplay. The Hurricanes were a goal up moving into the second period.

Following the first intermission, Aleksander Barkov equalized the contest for the Florida Panthers after he slotted the puck past Hurricanes' goalie Frederik Anderson with a wrist shot on a feed from Anthony Duclair at the 15:28 mark of the second period.

Less than three minutes before the second intermission, Carter Verhaeghe made it 2-1 for the Panthers after converting an assist from Anthony Duclair into the back of the net with a wrist shot goal. The Panthers were leading the game by a goal before the game headed into the final period.

Coming into the third period, Stefan Noesan evened the game at 2-2 for the Carolina Hurricanes after he slotted the puck into the net following a feed from Seth Jarvis on a powerplay at the 3:47 mark of the first period. The score stayed tied at 2-2 after the end of regulation period, forcing overtime.

2:35 minutes into overtime, Ryan Lomberg scored an unassisted goal that was overruled due to goalie interference, forcing play to continue. This was followed by 3 overtimes where neither team managed to score.

Matthew Tkachuk came as the savior for the Florida Panthers and scored a wrist shot goal in the dying seconds of the 4th period.

The NHL Eastern Conference Finals action will continue in Game 2 on Saturday.