Game 1: Tkachuk Brings It in Return, Panthers Smoke Lightning

TAMPA — Matthew Tkachuk was back for the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night, and he made sure the Tampa Bay Lightning knew all about it.

Tkachuk, playing in his first game for the Panthers since Feb. 8, scored a pair of power-play goals in Florida’s three-goal second in a 6-2 win over the Lightning in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series.

The Panthers lead the best-of-7 series 1-0; Game 2 is Thursday night in Tampa.

Florida led 1-0 on a slick deflection from Sam Bennett on a Mackie Samoskevich shot at 3:44 of the first.

Tied at 1, Sam Reinhart gave the Panthers the lead for good with 44.7 seconds left in the first by deflecting a point shot from Dmitry Kulikov.

The Panthers took control of the game in the second, scoring three in a span of 5:03 — getting those goals off three consecutive shots on goal against Andrei Vasilevskiy.

Nate Schmidt made it 3-1 by charging in and cleaning up a loose puck at Vasilevskiy’s skates. The Lightning were unsuccessful in their goalie interference challenge, with Tkachuk getting his first on the ensuing power play from the slot.

Tkachuk made it 5-1 on a second power-play chance, sending a sharp-angled shot through traffic. Schmidt got his second of the night in the third.

Sergei Bobrovsky made 20 saves.

The Panthers have won five of the past six playoff games against the Lightning.

PANTHERS @ LIGHTNING, GAME 1

• The winner of Game 1 in the Sunshine Showdown won the series the previous three times. Tampa Bay took Game 1 in 2021 (5-4) and 2022 (4-1); the Panthers won Game 1 (3-2) last year.
• Vasilevskiy made his 110th consecutive postseason start dating to Game 2 of the 2016 conference finals. He is two away from tying Ken Dryden (112 from 1971-79) for the fourth longest streak in NHL history. Martin Brodeur made 194 straight playoff starts from 1994-2012.

HOW THEY SCORED

• Panthers 1, Lightning 0 (3:44 1st): Sam Bennett charges the net and somehow gets his stick on a shot to the net from Mackie Samoskevich and beats Andrei Vasilevskiy.
• Lightning 1, Panthers 1 (12:21 1st PP): Jake Guentzel is camped out by the right post and sweeps in a loose puck from a Nikita Kucherov rebound.
• Panthers 2, Lightning 1 (19:15 1st): Sam Reinhart redirects a point shot from Dmitry Kulikov and the Panthers have the lead back.
• Panthers 3, Lightning 1 (4:41 2nd): Eetu Luostarinen’s forecheck forces a turnover behind the net; after a Brad Marchand slap shot from the left circle comes off Vasilevskiy, Nate Schmidt comes hard and cleans up the rebound Luostarinen could not get to. Tampa Bay challenges for goalie interference, to no avail…
• Panthers 4, Lightning 1 (4:55 2nd PP): On the ensuing power play, Reinhart feeds Matthew Tkachuk in the slot — and he freezes Vasilevskiy with some slick stick work going right/left/right and home.
• Panthers 5, Lightning 1 (9:44 2nd PP): Tkachuk gets another one, this time finding a loose puck off a rebound at the bottom of the right circle and fires a sharp-angled shot that pinballs off some skates in front. The Panthers have three goals on three straight shots on goal in the second.
• Panthers 5, Lightning 2 (13:04 2nd): Brayden Point scores on the one-timer from the left circle.
• Panthers 6, Lightning 2 (5:09 3rd PP): Schmidt gets another, this time on a slicing wrist shot from the top of the right circle.

FHN’S 3 STARS OF GAME 1

• 1. Matthew Tkachuk, Florida
• 2. Sergei Bobrovsky, Florida
• 3. Nate Schmidt, Florida

2025 NHL STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS

EASTERN CONFERENCE 1ST ROUND: GAME 2

FLORIDA PANTHERS at TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING 

• When: Thursday, 6:30 p.m.
• Where: Amalie Arena, Tampa
• Local TV: Scripps Sports — WSFL 39 (Miami/FtL); WHDT 9 (WPB); LAFF 36.3 (SWFla)
• National TV: TBS/truTV
• Streaming: Panthers+, MAX
• Radio: WQAM 560-AM; WBZT 1230-AM (Palm Beach); WCTH 100.3-FM (Florida Keys); SiriusXM
• Panthers Radio Streaming: SiriusXM 932, NHL App
• Series Schedule — Game 1 at Tampa: Tuesday; Game 2 at Tampa: Thursday, 6:30 (TBS/Scripps); Game 3 at Florida: Saturday, 1 (TBS/Scripps); Game 4 at Florida: Monday, April 28, 7 (ESPN/Scripps); Game 5* at Tampa: Wednesday, April 30 (TBA); Game 6* at Florida: Friday, May 2 (TBA); Game 7* at Tampa: Sunday, May 4 (TBA).
• Regular Season Series: Tied 2-2
• All-time Regular Season Series: Florida leads 79-53-19, 10 ties
• All-Time Postgame Series: Tampa Bay Leads 2-1 (won 2021 first-round, 2022 ECS); Florida d. Lightning 4-1 in 2024 first-round.