Matthew Tkachuk's injury casts serious doubt on Panthers' ability to keep Cup hopes alive | Schad

SUNRISE — Matthew Tkachuk was hurting and he was hurting so badly he couldn't play, in what were clearly the biggest moments of the biggest game of his hockey life.

Tkachuk was grimacing and wincing and laboring as an upper-body discomfort that probably began the moment he took a big hit in the previous game set in deeper and deeper.

"That's not going to come out right now," Tkachuk said after, when pressed for details.

Tkachuk rested some and rested some more in the third period and then jumped on the ice when Florida's goaltender was pulled and they needed his heroics one more time.

And Tkachuk nearly did it, too.

It took a stellar left-pad save by Vegas' Adin Hill on Tkachuk, as time expired, to preserve a 3-2 victory that once again brings the Panthers to the brink of elimination late Saturday evening.

"We ran out of time," Tkachuk said.

Florida trails Vegas 3-1 in Stanley Cup Final

The Panthers lost because they fell in a 3-0 hole at home, when they needed to do anything but fall in a 3-0 hole at home, already trailing 2 games to 1 in the Stanley Cup Final.

"Some silly plays," defenseman Brandon Montour said of Florida's defense.

Vegas' defense is oh-so-good.

They block shots. They never seem to be in poor position. They hit.

And they are so darned structurally sound.

We can see why Vegas was favored and why barring another Bruins-type miracle comeback, they're going to win their first Stanley Cup and prevent Florida from doing the same.

Chandler Stephenson scored the first two goals for Vegas.

There was a bad change by the Panthers, including Aaron Ekblad.

Then Stephenson was too open in the slot, beating Sergei Bobrovsky glove high.

Then William Karlsson made it 3-0 off a rebound and it looked for all the world like Florida was dead in the water again.

Florida Panthers comeback comes up short

It took a circus goal by Montour - off a skate, then off an ankle and like a pinball into the Vegas goal - to bring the Panthers back to life.

It took a pass from Montour and a goal by Aleksander Barkov - his first of the series - to improbably bring Florida within striking distance of knotting the series at 2.

It never happened.

Rats littered the ice and Tkachuk waved his stick and players pushed and shoved and collapsed to the ice, but none of that mattered. Because there was no time left for the comeback Cats to come back again.

Vegas is the stronger team. Stronger overall defense. And deeper, especially with injuries to Eetu Luostarinen and Tkachuk and even Anthony Duclair left for a while in this one.

The Stanley Cup Playoffs are a long, long, long battle of attrition. And it's certainly possible Florida has just hit a wall.

Vegas is a literal wall. And they're big and strong and tough and at times, it seems, impenetrable.

"You've got to win four," Barkov said. "All we can think about is win one and bring it back to Florida."

But at this time, it's really hard to imagine a way in which Florida forces a sixth game, let alone a seventh.

That Tkachuk is in serious pain is a problem Florida probably can't overcome.

Yes, there are two days of rest ahead. But nobody, including coach Paul Maurice, could promise anything about Tkachuk's availability moving forward.

"You want to be out there playing," Tkachuk said.

The Florida Panthers sure looked done, until suddenly, again, they weren't | Schad

After the game, Maurice said Florida will spend some time telling stories about the energy level the team brought into Boston when they trailed 3-1 in Round 1, and found a way to win.

Florida overcame 3-1 deficit to Boston, but...

But this feels different.

The Panthers have been as good as any team in the NHL in coming back over the last four years.

This season has been a remarkable run. An improbable run. A fun run. An inspiring run.

But it's really hard to see it lasting much longer.

Joe Schad is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at.jschad@pbpost.com and follow him on Instagram and Twitter @schadjoe. Sign up for Joe's free weekly Dolphins Pulse Newsletter. Help support our work by subscribing today

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Florida Panthers fall to Vegas Golden Knights and trail 3-1 in Stanley Cup Final