Tkachuk among top players for Panthers in Game 3 of Cup Final

SUNRISE, Fla. -- Who played well in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final? Sometimes it's easy to tell, sometimes it isn't. NHL.com graded the players in the 3-2 victory by the Florida Panthers against the Vegas Golden Knights at FLA Live Arena on Thursday. Here are the players and trends that stood out the most.

RELATED: [Complete Stanley Cup Final coverage]

Honor Roll

Matthew Tkachuk (Florida Panthers): Tkachuk was clutch again, scoring the game-tying goal at 17:47 of the third period to send the game into overtime. He also avoided the penalty box for the first time in the series. If Tkachuk remains disciplined, he gives the Panthers the best chance to even the series in Game 4 on Saturday.

Jonathan Marchessault (Vegas Golden Knights): The forward scored his 13th goal of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the second period and assisted on Mark Stone's goal in the first period. Marchessault continues to be the hot hand for Vegas (four goals, two assists in three Cup Final games) and is a candidate for the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.

Vegas special teams: The Golden Knights scored twice on the power play and stopped all five of Florida's opportunities on the man-advantage. The power play has been hit or miss for most of the season for Vegas, but it's coming up with timely goals in the Final.

Sergei Bobrovsky (Florida Panthers): Bobrovsky was spectacular in net. He returned to the form that carried the Panthers to the Final after allowing eight goals in the first two games of the series and getting pulled in Game 2. Bobrovsky made 25 saves, including 20 in 5-on-5 play.

Carter Verhaeghe (Florida Panthers): He scored the game-winner with a wrist shot in overtime to give the Panthers the first Stanley Cup Final victory in their history.

Stock Watch

Brandon Montour (Up): The new dad scored the first goal of the game. The Panthers defenseman missed some time with an injury in the third period. He had three shots in 25:37 of ice time.

Florida Defense (Up):The Panthers did a much better job keeping the Golden Knights out of the offensive zone and showed a stronger presence forechecking. Florida was winning stick battles that were being lost in the two games in Vegas. Florida's defense is looking like it's getting back to form in front of Bobrovsky.

William Carrier (Down):The Golden Knights forward took three penalties and had no shots on goal.

Shea Theodore (Up):The Golden Knights defenseman got his 50th career playoff assist. He tied teammate Alex Pietrangelo for the fewest number of games (105) to hit the milestone for a defenseman.

Florida discipline (Down): The Panthers continued to give Vegas the man-advantage, taking eight penalties. While they managed to keep their emotions in check, they need to stay out of the penalty box with the Golden Knights power play heating up.

FLA Live crowd (Up):From the pregame festivities with Flo Rida to the moment Verhaeghe scored, the fans brought the energy -- and the rats -- to help the Panthers make it a 2-1 series.

What we learned

Vegas leans on experience

Like they have done all season, the Golden Knights will look to their experience to bounce back after an overtime loss. They've outscored opponents 24-10 after losses. Expect Vegas to come out with its best foot forward in Game 4.

Panthers building momentum

The Panthers stressed how badly they needed to win Game 3 to make it a series. They accomplished that. Now they must bottle the energy and performance of Game 3 if they are to give themselves a chance at returning to Las Vegas with the series tied.