Carter ‘Iron Lungs’ Verhaeghe Finds New Way to be a Hero for Florida Panthers
Cater Verhaeghe has made himself known for scoring in clutch-time, but this time, he got the job done with his physicality.
SUNRISE, Fla. — Brad Marchand might have been the Florida Panthers’ overtime hero this time around, but Carter Verhaeghe still managed to have a hand in making it happen.
Verhaeghe has made himself known for scoring in clutch-time — becoming the NHL’s active leader in playoff overtime goals (5) and Florida’s franchise leader in postseason game-winning goals (10) — but this time, he got the job done with his physicality.
The speedy, 6-foot-2 winger pinned the Toronto Maple Leafs in their own zone as his linemates went off for a change as Marchand and Anton Lundell came on to keep the pressure on.
After a few more looks in the offensive zone, a Marchand shot fluttered through a sea of bodies and beat Toronto goalie Joseph Woll with 4:33 to go in overtime to give the Panthers a 5-4 victory and cut their series deficit to 2-1 on Friday night.
“The line before us — Swaggy’s line — did a great job at getting in, creating some havoc, and sustaining pressure. And then Iron Lungs over here stayed out, and while we were in the midst of a change, he won a couple of puck battles and kept it alive,” Marchand said, gesturing towards Verhaeghe as he was siting at the podium next to him.
“It was what allowed us to sustain that momentum, we had a couple of good defense pinches, we had a couple of good looks, but once you get a line tired, especially that late in a game, they kind of collapse. … When that happens, sometimes you’re able to take advantage.”
Verhaeghe’s 2024-25 season finished on a sour note, with his goal total plummeting from 34 the previous season to 20 after he went through a 13-game goal drought late in the season, but he came into the playoffs with a new way to contribute — with physicality.
He has already racked up a career high of 35 hits through the Panthers’ first eight playoff games, surpassing his previous high of 31 which he amassed during Florida’s 21-game run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2023. He had 27 hits in 24 games when the Panthers won the Cup in 2024.
But the volume of the hits is not the only thing that has changed for Verhaeghe. He is throwing hard hits — multiple hits that left Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak and Maple Leafs defenseman Erik Cernak shaken up afterward — and helping spark momentum in any way he can.
It has even helped open things up offensively for Verhaeghe, who has three goals and seven points through his first eight postseason games.
“I think it’s kind of our whole team’s game,” Verhaeghe said. “Everyone kind of throws hits, and maybe I have been learning from [Sam Bennett] a little bit, watching him the past couple of seasons. But we’re just a physical team and everyone is laying the body and finishing checks in the playoffs.”
Verhaeghe helped fuel the Panthers on Friday night, both with his physicality and with his trademark skill.
He set the tone early on, racking up seven hits as the Panthers were grinding their way back from multiple two-goal deficits in the first two periods of the game. Then, he found his place to strike.
Just over a minute after Sam Reinhart drew Florida within a goal, Verhaeghe joined Bennett on a partial 2-on-1 rush and tapped home his backhand feed to tie the game at 3-3.
It was a crucial moment in the game that helped the Panthers regain their footing, momentarily take the lead 10 minutes later, and then hold on after the Maple Leafs tied the game late in the third period after a Morgan Reilly shot pinballed in off of Sergei Bobrovsky’s blocker and Seth Jones’ knee.
And then, of course, Iron Lungs took over in overtime.
“There is a certain frequency he plays at that he can get himself to at playoff time,” coach Paul Maurice said. “There is a physicality, a speed, a directness, a simplicity to his game. When there’s more chaos or more intensity, that’s when he’s at his best — and he’s not allowed to come off the ice in overtime.”
