Alex Wennberg gave the Panthers the lead at the 11:44 mark, snapping home a wrist shot from the slot on a rush.
A power play goal from Sam Bennett doubled Florida's lead early in the second period. Aleksander Barkov set up the play, driving low and opening space for Bennett in the slot to fire a shot past Andrei Vasilevskiy.
The Lightning's lone goal came from Luke Schenn, who drew back in along with Fredrik Claesson and Ben Thomas to replace the injured defensemen. Schenn snuck down into the slot and wired home a feed from Yanni Gourde after going unmarked by the Florida defense.
At the time, that was a big goal for Tampa Bay to pull back within one, but Florida took control with a pair of quick goals to close the second period.
A lucky bounce ended up in the back of the Lightning's net, stretching Florida's lead back to two past the midway point of the period. Wennberg set up behind the net and tried to throw a centering feed into the slot, only to have the puck deflect into the air after being blocked by David Savard. The puck landed behind Vasilevskiy and had just enough backspin to trickle over the line.
Jonathan Huberdeau made it 4-1 at the 14:53 mark of the second period, getting a backhander on goal that just managed to sneak through Vasilevskiy. Tampa Bay won the defensive zone draw but turned the puck over to Bennett, who then found Huberdeau in the slot for the goal.
Wennberg completed the hat trick with less than seven minutes remaining in regulation. Again, he was the beneficiary of a deflection off Savard, this time firing a shot on the rush that changed direction on Vasilevskiy after clipping the inside of the defenseman's leg.
Tempers flared between the two in-state rivals as they settle in for this final series of the regular season before opening the playoffs against each other. Guys were dropping their gloves all night, leading to a combined 146 penalty minutes and several 10-minute misconducts.
Home ice advantage in the First Round series between the Bolts and Cats will now be decided on Monday night in the regular season finale.
Scoring Summary
1st Period
FLA | 11:44 Alex Wennberg (14) - Gustav Forsling, MacKenzie Weegar
2nd Period
FLA | 3:07 Sam Bennett (10) - Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau - PPG
TBL | 4:52 Luke Schenn (2) - Yanni Gourde, Barclay Goodrow
FLA | 12:54 Alex Wennberg (15) - Frank Vatrano
FLA | 14:53 Jonathan Huberdeau (20) - Sam Bennett
3rd Period
FLA | 13:38 Alex Wennberg (16) - Owen Tippett, Gustav Forsling
