The Florida Panthers delivered a statement win Sunday night, defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-2 at Amalie Arena in the first half of a home-and-home series. Highlighted by a pair of quick, short-handed goals in the second period, the victory extended Florida’s winning streak to four games.
Sam Reinhart led the Panthers’ attack with two goals, including an empty-netter to seal the win. Spencer Knight stood tall between the pipes, making 19 saves for the reigning Stanley Cup champions. Meanwhile, A.J. Greer and Eetu Luostarinen turned Tampa Bay’s power play into a nightmare, scoring back-to-back short-handed goals just 42 seconds apart in the second period.
Nick Paul and Brayden Point scored for the Lightning, and Andrei Vasilevskiy recorded 21 saves. Tampa Bay, coming into the game on a four-game winning streak, struggled to find answers against Florida’s relentless penalty-killing unit.
The Lightning opened the scoring in the first period when Nick Paul capitalized on a rebound. But Florida responded quickly, with Sam Reinhart finding the back of the net to tie the game at 1-1.
The turning point came midway through the second period with Tampa Bay on the power play. Nikita Kucherov mishandled the puck at the blue line, allowing A.J. Greer to break free and score a short-handed goal to give Florida a 2-1 lead. On the ensuing shift, Eetu Luostarinen stripped Anthony Cirelli and raced down the ice for another short-handed tally, putting the Panthers up 3-1.
Brayden Point cut the deficit to 3-2 late in the second period, extending his point streak to eight games. However, the Lightning could not break through in the third, and Reinhart’s empty-net goal secured the win for Florida. Florida leads the NHL with 10 short-handed goals this season, six more than any other team.
Sunday marked the eighth time in franchise history that the Panthers scored two short-handed goals in a single game. The Panthers have dominated in Tampa recently, winning four straight games at Amalie Arena and improving to 7-2-2 there in their past nine regular-season visits.
Brayden Point remains on fire, with 18 goals in his last 20 games. His point streak now stands at eight games. Tampa Bay struggled with puck management on the power play, which proved costly with two short-handed goals against.
The game’s decisive moment came during Tampa Bay’s second-period power play. After Greer’s short-handed goal gave Florida the lead, Luostarinen doubled the advantage on the very next shift, stripping Cirelli and converting a breakaway chance. The two quick goals swung momentum decisively in Florida’s favor.
The teams will face off again Monday night at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida, for the second game of the home-and-home set. Both squads will be looking to extend their respective winning ways in what promises to be another heated matchup between these Atlantic Division rivals.
