2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs
Florida Panthers Coming Home, Lightning Keep Season Alive
TAMPA — Florida Panthers coach Paul Maurice did not seem too upset following his team’s Game 4 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday evening.
He just wanted to escape a very warm press workroom where his press conference was being held.
Maurice brought his bag with him and was ready to get home.
Following a 6-3 loss to the Lightning, the Panthers did just that.
Florida will play host to Game 5 of the first-round of the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs on Monday night after the Lightning avoided a sweep and kept its season alive.
“We were not very good and we were a little bit slow,” Maurice said. “We had some problems with the special teams, so, that is a recipe for a tough one.”
The Panthers said they were prepared for a big push from the Lightning — only it did not look it in the opening period.
“We came out with fire and we got rewarded,” Tampa Bay defenseman Victor Hedman said afterward. “They pushed back in the second, but I thought we had a tremendous third and deserved the win.”
Yes, for the first time in this best-of-7 series, the Lightning were the better team.
Tampa Bay did not become Florida’s second sweep victim in the past year by scoring three in the first and holding off a big push from the Panthers in the final 40.
“We gave them too many power plays and that’s what got them in this game,’’ said Dmitry Kulikov, who took a high stick late which left several cuts on his face.
“When we are playing 5-on-5, we’re a pretty good team. We created chances, we were back in that game. Sometimes this is the way it goes. We wanted to win this one, but we’re going home now. We’ll try and finish the job there.”
Florida trailed 3-0 after the first and was down 4-1 midway through the second before Sam Reinhart and Oliver Ekman-Larsson pulled the Panthers within a goal.
The Panthers certainly had momentum on their side going into the third and had many chances to tie things up.
But Steven Stamkos’ second goal of the night on a beautiful no-look shot from 35-feet out beat a stunned Sergei Bobrovsky and the Lightning live to fight another day.
“We did what we needed to do at home,” said Maurice, whose team beat the Lightning twice in Sunrise before splitting the two in Tampa. “We won the first two games. Then we did what we needed to do on the road. We split. You’re up three and you want to win that fourth one, but they’ve got a pretty good team over there.”
Said captain Sasha Barkov: “We all know it’s a battle. It’s best-of-7. We’re up 3-1 going home. We’re in a good spot.”
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STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS
EASTERN CONFERENCE QUARTERFINALS
TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING (WC1) VS. FLORIDA PANTHERS (ATL1)
PANTHERS LEAD BEST-OF-7 SERIES 3-1
GAME 5
- When: Monday, 7 p.m.
- Where: Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise
- Local TV/National TV/Streaming: Bally Sports Florida/ESPN/ESPN+
- Radio: WPOW 96.5-FM2; WBZT 1230-AM (West Palm Beach); WCTH 100.3-FM (Florida Keys); WCZR 101.7-FM (Treasure Coast); SiriusXM
- Panthers Radio Streaming: SiriusXM 932, NHL app
- First Round (Panthers Lead 3-1) — Game 1: Panthers 3, Lightning 2; Game 2:Florida 3, Tampa Bay 2 OT; Game 3: Panthers 5, Lightning 3; Game 4: Lightning 6, Panthers 3; Game 5: Monday at Florida, 7 (BSF, ESPN); Game 6*: Wednesday at Tampa Bay, TBA (BSF, TBA); Game 7*: Saturday May 4 at Florida, TBA (BSF, TBA). (*) — If necessary
- 2023-24 Regular Season Series (Panthers Won 2-1) — At Tampa Bay: Panthers 3, Lightning 2 (Dec. 27); Panthers 9, Lightning 2 (Feb. 17). At Florida: Lightning 5, Panthers 3 (March 16).
- All-time Regular Season Series: Florida leads 77-51-19, 10 ties
- All-Time Postgame Series: Lightning Leads 2-0 (2021 first-round, 2022 ECS)
I still want someone to explain to me how Barkov got the penalty in the first when Dumbu grabbed him by the neck, clearly after the play, and starts choking him. And they give Barkov a penalty there, What’s Barky supposed to do there? Does anybody think that’s fair? You take their sixth best defenseman the ice and our best player, when their guy initiated the scrum. Last night, and the night before quite frankly, was shameful. Kutcherov skates into Leostarinen, and they give Etu the penalty??? Some shady calls.
Meh, it’s part of the game. You’re looking at it with Panthers-colored glasses. In fairness, Barky got in a couple of cross checks after provocation, Kutcherov skated into Luosty, but he cross checked him in the chin/throat, and Montour cross checked Kutcherov on his way down in the back of the neck. No, I’m not a Tampa fan, I’m a STH for the Cats. Just gotta accept it and move onto Game 5 to close it out. Whining about the refs by fans is boorish. Cats were outplayed by the Lightning, not the refs….
Agree to disagree. I know bad calls when i see them.
Asked Paul about that. He called Barkov a punk. Odd call.