5 TAKEAWAYS: Golden Knights 3, Panthers 2

SUNRISE, Fla. --The Florida Panthers are right back to where their epic postseason run began.

After falling behind 3-1 to the Boston Bruins in Round 1, the Panthers now facing an identical 3-1 hole in the Stanley Cup Final after suffering a 3-2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 4 at FLA Live Arena on Saturday.

As they now prepare to head to Las Vegas for Game 5 on Tuesday, the Panthers can't help but think back to their 4-3 overtime win in Game 5 at Boston that sparked their historic comeback in that series.

These are far from uncharted waters.

"We'll tell stories over the next two days for sure, reminders of the energy level we brought into Game 5 in Boston," Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said. "And we'll celebrate it. We'll celebrate it before the puck drops."

Down but never out, the "Comeback Cats" believe they still have a few lives left.

"All we can do is think about the next one," Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov said. "You've got to win four. It's 3-1, I know. They're one win away, we're three wins away. All we can do is think about one game and bringing it back to Florida. That's our goal. That's what we want to do."

For a quick recap of Game 4, click HERE.

To read up on five key takeaways from the game for the Cats, continue below.

1. MONTOUR FINDS TWINE

The shortest distance between two points is a straight line.

This goal took the long way.

Giving the Panthers a much-needed spark heading into the second intermission, Brandon Montour fired a shot that ping-ponged off two different Vegas skaters before sailing past goaltender Adin Hill and into the cage to cut the deficit to 3-1 at 16:09 of the second period.

"I like our fight," Montour said.

Making his presence felt during the playoffs, Montour, who also lit the lamp in Game 3, is just the ninth different defenseman in NHL history to score eight goals in a single postseason.

He's also just the third defenseman in the past 28 years to score goals in consecutive games in the Stanley Cup Final, joining Justin Braun (Sharks, 2016) and Brian Rafalski (Red Wings, 2008). The only blueliner to ever hit three straight games is Brian Leetch (Rangers, 1994).

When Montour was on the ice at 5-on-5 in Game 4, Florida led 2-1 in goals.

2. VEGAS WINS THE SECOND

Montour's goal put an end to what was a very strong push for the Knights.

After breaking the ice in first period, Chandler Stephenson netted his second goal of the game and pushed the lead to 2-0 for Vegas when he buried a one-timer at 7:28 of the second period.

Less than five minutes later, the Knights, with momentum squarely on their side, padded their lead even further when William Karlsson, who had yet to score in the series up until this point, found a loose puck inside the left circle and quickly fired it into the net to make it 3-0 at 11:04.

In addition to those two goals, the Knights finished the second period with sizeable advantages in shot attempts (24-17), scoring chances (16-4) and high-anger shot attempts (4-1) at 5-on-5.

Looking at the series as a whole, Vegas had led 6-2 in goals in the second period.

3. TKACHUK TOUGHS IT OUT

There's no question that Matthew Tkachuk wasn't feeling his best in Game 4.

Limited to just four shifts in the third period, the superstar forward left the ice at 4:18 and stayed on the bench until 14:59. Still there for the Panthers when they needed him most, he was on the ice for the final 2:26 and nearly tied the game on a power play as the final second ticked away.

As it stands now, Tkachuk's status remains up in the air.

"Matthew's been a grinder his whole life, and he was again tonight," Maurice said of the gutsy effort. "We were just looking to get in some situation where he could use what he had to give us. Hoping to get on the power play a little bit earlier, I guess, and certainly at the end of the game."

Taking some punishment in the series, Tkachuk missed part of Game 3 after a big hit form Vegas forward Keegan Kolesar. Eventually returning to action, he ended up scoring the game-tying goal with 2:13 remaining in regulation of an eventual 3-2 overtime win for the Panthers.

Easily one of the most-important players for the Panthers throughout their run to the Stanley Cup Final, Tkachuk leads the team in goals (11), assists (13), points (24) and plus/minus (+12).

"You obviously want to be out there playing," Tkachuk said. "I was able to go out there at the end and try to make some magic happen late. Ran out of time. … Just trying to find a way out there to make it work tonight. Came up probably a second short."

The next update on Tkachuk will likely come after Monday's practice in Vegas.

4. BARKOV LEADS THE WAY

With Tkachuk banged up, Aleksander Barkov led the charge.

In addition to trimming the deficit to just one goal with a one-timer in the third period that made it a 3-2 game, the captain saw 8:50 of his 20:23 of total ice time in the final frame as the Panthers were without both Tkachuk and Anthony Duclair for long stretches in the period.

"Obviously he's shown that his whole career," Montour said. "No doubt he's going to step up and make plays and help this team move forward, and [it's] just nothing new from him. He plays hard, he's the best player in the world for a reason and we need him to keep going like that."

Finishing the game with two points (one goal, one assist), Barkov also shined in the faceoff circle. Going 15-for-24 in the dot, he seemingly won every key draw he took in the third period, including a clutch win on the power play in the game's final seconds to give Florida a shot.

Third on the Panthers in playoff scoring, Barkov has tallied 16 points (five goals, 11 assists).

He also leads all skaters in faceoff wins in the postseason with 215.

"He's been great," Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky said. "He's our captain, he's leading us and I thought the rest of the guys competed hard, you know? They fight, they compete. It was a good hockey game."

5. LOOK OUT FOR LUNDELL

Let's go from Barkov to a player that many refer to as "Mini Barkov."

Playing possibly his best game of the playoffs, second-year pro Anton Lundell really stood out for the Panthers in Game 4. After starting the game centering the third line, the 21-year-old eventually was bumped up to the top line to play alongside Barkov and Sam Reinhart.

Seeing 16:50 ice time, Lundell, who racked up 33 points in 73 games during the regular season, assisted on Barkov's third-period goal and fired off three shots on goal. Helping shut down the only man advantage for the Knights in the second period, he skated 1:10 on the two-minute kill.

"He's elevating his game," Montour said. "For a young guy, that's great. Everyone's got to elevate that much more. He's going to be a big part of us clawing back into this series."

Coming together in the second half of Game 4, the line of Lundell, Barkov and Reinhart provided the Panthers with some of their best looks. Sharing the ice for 6:36, the trio owned strong advantages in shot attempts (8-4), shots on goal (5-2) and expected goals (0.34-0.09).

They were also on the ice for both of Florida's goals.

"They were a threat every time they were on the ice," Maurice said.