After falling into an early hole once again, the Tampa Bay Lightning flipped the script on Saturday night. Unlike the first two games of their Eastern Conference first-round series, this time Tampa Bay roared back, routing the Florida Panthers 5-1 in Game 3 to tighten the series to 2-1.
Andrei Vasilevskiy was stellar between the pipes, stopping 33 of 34 shots, while Tampa Bay’s offense finally found its footing. Jake Guentzel, Brayden Point, Nick Paul, and Luke Glendening each found the back of the net, and Anthony Cirelli tacked on an empty-netter late. Nikita Kucherov, the NHL’s regular-season points leader, dished out three assists to power the Lightning’s attack.
The Lightning, who were scoreless for nearly five periods to start the series, now have a chance to even things up when Game 4 shifts to Sunrise on Monday night.
“We stayed patient, didn’t panic,” Lightning head coach Jon Cooper said. “We got the first goal and didn’t look back.”
Florida struck first once again when Matthew Tkachuk notched his third goal of the series just 2:43 into the game, tapping in a perfect feed from Sam Bennett. But unlike in Games 1 and 2, Tampa Bay didn’t fold. Midway through the first period, Guentzel’s shot ricocheted off Brayden Point and past Sergei Bobrovsky, giving the Lightning a crucial response and a surge of energy.
In the second period, Nick Paul gave Tampa Bay its first lead of the series, slipping a shot just under Bobrovsky’s pad to make it 2-1. Then, just 21 seconds into the third, Guentzel delivered again, pushing the lead to 3-1 and putting the Panthers on their heels. Luke Glendening and Cirelli’s late tallies iced the game, with Cirelli sealing it into an empty net after a frustrated Florida squad pulled Bobrovsky.
Vasilevskiy, who had allowed seven goals in the first two games, rebounded in a major way. After Tkachuk’s early goal, the 2019 Vezina Trophy winner stood tall, facing a relentless barrage as Florida recorded 71 shot attempts. Vasilevskiy’s calm presence allowed Tampa Bay to gradually take control.
“He’s our backbone,” Point said. “When he’s locked in like that, it gives us all the confidence in the world.”
The Lightning played without forward Brandon Hagel, who was suspended for Game 3 after a controversial hit on Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov late in Game 2. Barkov, however, returned to Florida’s lineup Saturday, as did defenseman Aaron Ekblad, who was eligible to return after a 20-game suspension for violating the NHL’s performance-enhancing drug policy.
Game 3 got increasingly physical as tempers flared. Tkachuk was assessed a five-minute major for a late hit on Guentzel before Cirelli’s empty-netter, adding another layer of tension to a series already loaded with bad blood.
Asked about Tkachuk’s hit compared to Hagel’s suspension, Cooper was direct: “The only players we hit,” he said, “are the ones with pucks.”
The Panthers, defending Stanley Cup champions, remain dangerous — and historically, they’ve been perfect in series after taking a 2-0 lead. But after Saturday’s result, it’s clear that the Lightning aren’t going down quietly.
