Down 0-2 in the series and going on the road, the Tampa Bay Lightning knew they had their work cut out for them heading into Game 3. They were dealt another blow Friday night when Brandon Hagel was suspended one game for a late hit on Aleksander Barkov, making him ineligible to play in this game. That didn’t faze this team, as they grinded out a hard-fought 5-1 win over the Florida Panthers, making this a series again.
Feeding off their home crowd and the return of Aaron Ekblad, the Panthers struck first. After a confusing sequence of events that had the Lightning out of place, Matthew Tkachuk tipped the puck past Andrei Vasilevskiy for an early 1-0 lead.
After giving up the first goal of the game once again, the Lightning could have abandoned their structure and thrown caution to the wind. They didn’t, though, and finally it paid off with goals.
Late in the first, Brayden Point went hard to the net. Jake Guentzel’s shot deflected off his body and into the net behind Panthers netminder Sergei Bobrovsky, tying the game at one.
The second period saw the Lightning take their first lead of this series. Nick Paul finished off a pretty passing play with Guentzel for a 2-1 lead.
Once Paul scored to give the Lightning a lead, some nastiness ensued. The refs kept busy handing out penalties. It started when Panthers rookie Mackie Samoskevich stuck his knee out, clipping star winger Nikita Kucherov’s knee. The refs huddled up at the penalty boxes, likely trying to decide whether it should be a five minute major for kneeing or just a minor for tripping. They settled on the minor, something that didn’t sit well with Tampa Bay.
With Anthony Cirelli in the box for sticking up for his teammate after Tkachuk sent captain Victor Hedman into the net behind Vasilevskiy, the two teams had less than a minute of 4-on-4 time to start the final frame before the Panthers got a power play.
Guentzel continued stepping up, scoring 21 seconds into the third to give the Lightning a two-goal lead and some breathing room at 3-1.
On the ensuing power play, the Panthers threw everything they had on net. After a rough first game, the penalty killers and Vasilevskiy stood tall in denying Florida a chance to get close on the scoreboard.
Luke Glendening scored off a 2-on-1 with Yanni Gourde to make it 4-1 with around six minutes remaining.
Panthers head coach Paul Maurice pulled Bobrovsky for the extra attacker at that point. The Lightning got possession of the puck, with Guentzel passing up to Cirelli, who scored into the empty net for the 5-1 final.
Things really got nasty after that, as Tkachuk completely laid out Guentzel long after the puck had left his stick. Thankfully, Guentzel was no worse for wear and popped right back up, but the hit was eerily similar to Hagel’s from Game 2. The refs got it right, giving Tkachuk a major penalty for interference. Now it’s up to the league. If they are consistent, Tkachuk will be suspended for Game 4 on Monday night.
Going forward, the Lightning need to play the tight checking hockey they’re used to and stay disciplined. Establish the forecheck and the scoring chances will come. Cash in and this could end up a series going back to Tampa.
Special teams, specifically the power play, needs to step up as well. 0-for-9 isn’t going to cut it against any playoff team, let alone the defending Stanley Cup champions. The penalty kill can’t do everything, but through two games they’ve given it all they’ve got. If the Lightning can score a goal a man up and kill off the Panthers opportunities while maintaining their structure this might be a pivotal moment in swinging momentum.
ITR 44: We Have A Champion…Again – Inside The Rink
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