Game 3: Lightning Rebound, Beat the Panthers in Sunrise

SUNRISE — The Florida Panthers had not trailed in its first-round series against the Lightning through the first two games.

That changed on Saturday.

Now, the Lightning has life.

Jake Guentzel had a big hand in two of the goals, with Nikita Kucherov and Ryan McDonagh getting two assists as the Lightning took Game 3 with a 5-1 win on Saturday afternoon.

The Panthers lead the best-of-7 series 2-1 with Game 4 in Sunrise on Monday.

Florida took the initial lead on a Matthew Tkachuk goal just 2:43 into the game — but the Lightning stuck around in and tied it when Guentzel put a shot off Brayden Point with 2:45 left in the period.

Nick Paul gave Tampa Bay a 2-1 lead in the second, with Guentzel making it 3-1 a mere 21 seconds into the third.

GAME 3: LIGHTNING @ PANTHERS

• The NHL announced on Saturday that Game 5, which is scheduled for Wednesday in Tampa, will start at 7:30 p.m. It will be broadcast locally by the Panthers’ Scripps network and nationally on ESPN2.
• Tampa Bay is 6-3 in Game 3s when trailing 2-0 in a best-of-7 series. The Lightning rallied to win two of those series (2022 ECF, 2003 ECQ).
• Tkachuk scored his 20th playoff goal in 47 games with the Panthers and now ranks third in franchise history behind Carter Verhaeghe (26) and Sam Reinhart (22). Tkachuk is third in playoff scoring with 50 points behind Barkov (62) and Verhaeghe (54).
• The Panthers were 21-3 when scoring first in playoff games since 2023.
• Florida had Aaron Ekblad back in the lineup for the first time since March 8 after he was hit with a 20-game suspension.

LIGHTNING / PANTHERS SCORING

• Panthers 1, Lightning 0 (2:43 1st): After Erik Cernak gave up the puck in the Lightning zone, Sam Bennett drove the net. He tries to shoot, but the puck ends up finding Matthew Tkachuk on the right post to knock it home for his third goal of the series.
• Lightning 1, Panthers 1 (17:15 1st): Jake Guentzel gets a nice feed from Nikita Kucherov, weaves through traffic and gets a shot through traffic that goes off Brayden Point to tie it.
• Lightning 2, Panthers 1 (13:17 2nd): The Lightning get its first lead of the series on Nick Paul’s low shot from the right circle that goes off the leg of Sergei Bobrovsky and in.
• Lightning 3, Panthers 1 (0:21 3rd 4on4): Guentzel charges the net and takes a backdoor feed from Kucherov and putting it between Bobrovsky’s skates.
• Lightning 4, Panthers 1 (14:19 3rd): Luke Glendening scores off a 2-on-1 from Yanni Gourde to salt this one away.
• Lightning 5, Panthers 1 (15:00 3rd EN): Anthony Cirelli gets one, too.

FHN’S 3 STARS OF GAME 3

• 1. Jake Guentzel, Tampa Bay
• 2. Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay
• 3. Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay

2025 NHL STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS

EASTERN CONFERENCE 1ST ROUND: GAME 4

TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING @ FLORIDA PANTHERS 

Panthers Lead Best-of-7 Series 2-1

• When: Monday, 7 p.m.
• Where: Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise
• Local TV: Scripps Sports — WSFL 39 (Miami/FtL); WHDT 9 (WPB); LAFF 36.3 (SWFla)
• National TV: ESPN
• Streaming: Panthers+
• Radio: WAXY 790-AM; WBZT 1230-AM (Palm Beach); WCTH 100.3-FM (Florida Keys); SiriusXM
• Panthers Radio Streaming: SiriusXM 932, NHL App
• Series Schedule — Game 1: Florida 6, @ Tampa Bay 2; Game 2: Florida 2, @ Tampa Bay 0; Game 3: Tampa Bay 5, @ Florida 1; Game 4 at Florida: Monday, 7 (ESPN/Scripps); Game 5 at Tampa: Wednesday (ESPN2/Scripps), 7:30; 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.