"Florida Panthers get away with it" talk explodes after Carter Verhaeghe's hit on Ottawa Senators Artem Zub

Florida's 3-2 win over the Ottawa Senators on Saturday had enough drama without the late-second flashpoint. With just over a minute left, Verhaeghe was assessed a minor for boarding on Artem Zub, and the building went volcanic.

Sens fans weren't just mad, they were loud-mad, the kind that spills into timelines before the replay even ends. The argument is simple, Zub is vulnerable near the boards, so two minutes felt light, and suspension talk followed fast.

Boarding sits in that messy space where officials weigh violence, distance to the boards, and the opponent's ability to protect himself. A minor can be technically «by the book,» but it still looks brutal when a guy goes in awkward.

This is where the Panthers reputation kicks the door down, because people across the league already think Florida lives on the edge. Even in this game, Florida actually took 12 penalty minutes to Ottawa's 10, and the Senators had five power plays, but fans fixate on the calls that feel downgraded.

Ottawa coach Travis Green basically admitted the broader truth out loud, the Panthers are hard to play against, and a lot of teams try to copy that style. When you win Cups by being mean in every corner, the whistle debate follows you everywhere.

As of Sunday, the NHL's Player Safety news page didn't show any announced hearing tied to this play, so the only certainty right now is the original two-minute minor. If that changes, it'll change fast, and Panthers fans know exactly how that movie usually ends.