Balance Restored: Florida Panthers Take Care of Lightning in Tampa

Florida Panthers coach Paul Maurice said the best part about beating the Stars on Saturday was that it gave his team a chance to have a fantastic road trip, one that ended Monday in Tampa against the rival Lightning.

And, indeed it was.

The Panthers took control of their game with the Lightning early on, getting a pair of goals in the opening few minutes before rolling to a 5-1 win.

Florida won three of four on this road trip, one that started in Utah and made stops in Colorado, Dallas, and Florida’s gulf coast.

The regulation win Monday pulled the Panthers within three points of the Lightning for first in the Atlantic. Florida has won five of the past six.

The game was mostly peaceful although there were plenty of extra hits — especially late in the third when the Panthers held a 3-goal lead thanks to a beauty of a backhander from Carter Verhaeghe.

Florida led 2-0 in the first after Sam Reinhart scored the first of his two on a shorthanded run at 2:16; Anton Lundell made it 2-0 at 3:48.

The Lightning dictated the pace the rest of the period, forcing Sergei Bobrovsky to make 13 saves with Tampa Bay credited with 12 scoring chances.

Everything Tampa Bay offered up, it seemed, was a Grade-A chance.

Bobrovsky held on through much of the game, Florida leading 4-0 in the second before the Lightning found the scoreboard for the first time.

He ended the night with 26 saves — and went 3-0 on the trip.

Florida returns home to play host to the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday.

NOTEBOOK: PANTHERS AT LIGHTNING

• Gus Forsling left the game early in the third after appearing to block a shot with his arm or his hand. He did not return. Maurice said he will be looked at on Tuesday.
• Reinhart passed Scott Mellanby for sixth on the Panthers’ all-time points list. Sasha Barkov leads with 782. Reinhart also scored his 13th career shorthanded goal with the Panthers, tying Barkov for second. Radek Dvorak had 16 in his two stints with Florida.
• Marchand is the fourth player in fourth player in franchise history to have 35 points in a single season at 37 or older joining Jaromir Jagr (twice), Joe Nieuwendyk (2005-06), and Gary Roberts (2005-06).
• With one more goal, Marchand joins Jagr and Nieuwendyk as the only 37-plus players to have a 20-goal season with the Panthers.
• Florida’s penalty kill has been successful in 26 of its past 27 attempts. The Lightning went 0-for-5 on Monday.

GOALS OF THE GAME

• Panthers 1, Lightning 0 (2:16 1st SH): Sam Reinhart decided to shoot the puck coming off a 2-on-1 with Anton Lundell and beats Jonas Johansson for the shorthanded goal.
• Panthers 2, Lightning 0 (3:48 1st): Lundell returns the favor, keeping the puck instead of passing to Reinhart on a 3-on-1 rush moments after Yanni Gourde hit the crossbar.
• Panthers 3, Lightning 0 (11:48 2nd): Aaron Ekblad picks up a loose puck, brings it into the zone, feeds it to Carter Verhaeghe who finds Brad Marchand streaking to the net.
• Panthers 4, Lightning 0 (18:08 2nd PP): Reinhart gets another one, one-timing a shot from the left circle after Mackie Samoskevich thwarts a clearing attempt.
• Panthers 4, Lightning 1 (19:27 2nd): Max Crozier fires off a shot through traffic from the top of the right circle.
• Panthers 4, Lightning 2 (2:11 3rd): J.J. Moser sends a wrist shot past Sergei Bobrovsky with the Panthers unsuccessfully challenging for goalie interference.
• Panthers 5, Lightning 2 (6:37 3rd): Carter Verhaeghe stays on a scoring tear, taking a pass from Uvis Balinskis and beating Johansson with a backhander over the glove from in close.

FHN’S 3 STARS

• 1. Sam Reinhart, Panthers
• 2. Carter Verhaeghe, Panthers
• 3. Sergei Bobrovsky, Panthers

ON DECK: GAME No. 33

LOS ANGELES KINGS at FLORIDA PANTHERS 

• When: Wednesday, 7 p.m.
• Where: Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise 
• Local TV: Scripps Sports — WSFL 39 (Miami/FtL); WHDT 9 (WPB); LAFF 36.3 (SWFla)
• Streaming: Panthers+, ESPN+
• Radio: WQAM; WBZT 1230-AM (Palm Beach); WCTH 100.3-FM (Florida Keys); SiriusXM
• Panthers Radio Streaming: SiriusXM 932, NHL App
• Last Season: Tied 1-1
  
• This Season (Panthers Lead 1-0) — At Los Angeles: Panthers 5, Kings 2 (Nov. 6). At Florida: Wednesday.
• All-time Regular Season Series: Los Angeles leads 27-17-0, 3 ties
• Up Next for the Panthers: Friday vs. Carolina Hurricanes, 7 p.m.