Given that this was the first meeting between the Lightning and Panthers since they combined for 322 penalty minutes in a preseason game, some people expected this game to (once again) feature lots of fights. It didn’t. But the game didn’t lack intensity—or a physical component. It was a tight-checking, low-scoring, (relatively) low-chance game, one in which the Lightning broke a third-period tie with a memorable first NHL goal from Jack Finley.
The Panthers are missing several of their regulars, who are dealing with long-term injuries. But the Lightning also entered this game with a heavily depleted lineup: seven of their regulars were unable to play, including Ryan McDonagh and Victor Hedman on defense.
But the Lightning did well throughout the night to limit scoring chances against an aggressive forechecking Florida team, and Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped nearly every look the Panthers did generate. Brad Marchand’s backhander from the slot during a second-period power play was the only one that eluded him.
The Lightning had a strong first period. They held the Panthers to just six shots on goal and only 10 total attempts. A Lightning power play midway through the frame didn’t score but was dangerous. It helped fuel the Lightning’s five-on-five play for the rest of the period. Just over a minute after the power play ended, the Lightning got on the board. Following a Florida icing, Brayden Point won an offensive-zone faceoff to Nikita Kucherov, who set up Emil Lilleberg at the left circle. Lilleberg wristed the puck over Sergei Bobrovsky’s stick and into the net at 11:31.
In the second period, the Panthers pushed back. Three power play chances in the frame aided that push, and they scored on the middle chance with the aforementioned Marchand backhander off a 50-50 faceoff. But despite the territorial disadvantage, the Lightning defended hard and managed to get out of the second period still tied at one.
A poor Lightning power play early in the third appeared to give Florida momentum—the Panthers had two shots and four attempts on a shift soon after the penalty ended. After Vasilevskiy made the second of those saves and got a whistle, the Lightning sent out the line of Finley, Curtis Douglas, and Scott Sabourin for a defensive-zone faceoff.
The line had had a strong game to that point, spending several shifts in the offensive zone and producing some good scoring chances. In the first period, Finley had a breakaway chance, but Bobrovsky denied the shot.
During this crucial shift that started in the d-zone, Finley won the faceoff. The Lightning got the puck out of their own end. Twenty-two seconds later, a hand pass stopped play and set up a neutral zone draw. Jon Cooper could have changed players, but he elected to keep that line out on the ice. It was a wise decision. Soon after, Sabourin fed Douglas in the defensive zone, and Douglas lifted the puck ahead. Finley got around Donovan Sebrango and had his second breakaway of the night. This time, he deked to his backhand and finished into the net at 4:09, giving the Lightning a 2-1 lead.
The teams each had two power-play chances after that. The Lightning’s kills came on a double-minor, and they navigated through the four minutes successfully. They also battled through a lengthy five-on-six after the Panthers pulled Bobrovsky for an extra attacker. Eventually, Zemgus Girgensons sealed the win with an empty-netter at 19:09.
This was a terrific team win against their division rivals. But there’s little time to savor it. The Lightning finish a back-to-back on Sunday at home against a rested Vancouver team.
Lightning Radio Three Stars of the Game:
- Jack Finley — Lightning. GWG. First NHL goal.
- Andrei Vasilevskiy — Lightning. 23 saves.
- Emil Lilleberg — Lightning. Goal.
