SUNRISE- The Florida Panthers have advanced to the second round of the playoffs for the first time in 26 years.

Carter Verhaeghe scored less than three minutes into the overtime session to give the Cats a 4-2 series victory over the Washington Capitals.

The Panthers trailed Washington until the third period when Aleksander Barkov scored with 5:43 remaining to take the lead 2-1.

With just over a minute to go, Washington’s T.J. Oshie tied the game sending it into overtime.

The game winning goal of the extra session came at 17:14, giving the ‘Cardiac Cats’ a playoff victory for the first time since the Clinton administration.

The Panthers will now face either the Toronto Maple Leafs or the archrival Tampa Bay Lightning.

Both teams play each other in game 7 on Saturday.