The Florida Panthers are moving on. Behind a four-point night from Eetu Luostarinen and a balanced offensive effort, the defending Stanley Cup champions defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 6-3 in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference First Round series Wednesday night at Amalie Arena. With the win, Florida claimed the best-of-seven series 4-1 and eliminated their in-state rivals for the second consecutive postseason.
Luostarinen finished with a goal and three assists, while Anton Lundell added a goal and two assists. Sam Reinhart had a goal and an assist, and veteran Brad Marchand contributed two helpers for the Panthers, who are the No. 3 seed from the Atlantic Division. Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky made 26 saves in the win.
“Any time you beat a team like Tampa, especially in their building, it’s huge,” said Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov, who scored the go-ahead goal early in the second period. “We stayed composed, stuck to our plan, and found a way.”
Florida now awaits the winner of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators series in the second round. The Maple Leafs hold a 3-2 series lead heading into Game 6 on Thursday.
Tampa Bay, the No. 2 seed from the Atlantic, struck first. Gage Goncalves gave the Lightning a 1-0 lead just 2:33 into the game, capitalizing on a redirection by Luke Glendening that pulled Bobrovsky out of position.
But Florida responded quickly. Carter Verhaeghe tied the game 1-1 on the power play at 5:21, scooping up a loose puck in front and tucking it past Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy.
Lundell made it 2-1 at 10:06, finishing a rebound after Marchand’s net-front drive deflected off his shin. However, the Lightning answered with Nick Paul’s whiparound shot from the slot at 12:16, knotting the score 2-2.
Barkov gave the Panthers a 3-2 edge just 52 seconds into the second period, redirecting a shot from defenseman Gustav Forsling. Tampa Bay tied it once more when Jake Guentzel fired a power-play wrist shot past Bobrovsky’s glove at 9:57.
But momentum swung back to Florida late in the period. After exiting the penalty box, Sam Bennett jumped into a 2-on-1 and ripped a shot past Vasilevskiy at 15:13 to make it 4-3.
Luostarinen extended the Panthers’ lead to 5-3 at 13:02 of the third period, finishing a centering feed from Marchand. Reinhart sealed the win with an empty-netter at 15:36.
With the loss, the Lightning were eliminated in the first round for the third straight year. Despite two assists from veteran defenseman Victor Hedman and 25 saves from Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay once again couldn’t get past their Sunshine State rivals.
“Give them credit,” said Lightning coach Jon Cooper. “They’re a deep, structured team, and they took advantage of their opportunities. It’s a tough pill to swallow.”
This marks the fourth consecutive year the Panthers have advanced to at least the second round. Florida has now eliminated Tampa Bay from the playoffs in back-to-back seasons, solidifying its dominance in the state rivalry.
With a red-hot Luostarinen leading the way, the Panthers look poised for another deep run.
“We’ve been here before,” said Luostarinen. “We know what it takes — and we’re hungry to do it again.”
