The Florida Panthers defeated the Carolina Hurricanes in the fourth overtime period of game one of the Eastern Conference Finals. With the victory coming just before 2:00 AM, the Panthers provided a tardy excuse letter for sleep-deprived fans. The letter states:

“Please excuse_____ tardiness to______ on May 19, 2023. As you are probably aware, our Game 1 in the Eastern Conference Final against the Carolina Hurricanes went into four (4) overtime periods, and they had to stay up late to support the Cats. ____’s support is essential to the team, and we appreciate your understanding. Go Cats!”