The Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Florida Panthers 5-1, with Brayden Point leading the way with a goal and two assists. Nikita Kucherov and Yanni Gourde also contributed to the victory. The teams will face each other in the opening round of the playoffs. Tampa Bay scored three goals in the first period and added two more in the second, with Andrei Vasilevskiy stopping 23 shots. Brad Marchand scored the lone goal for Florida.
Despite missing key players, the Panthers put up a fight with Marchand scoring his second goal since joining the team. For the Lightning, Conor Geekie impressed with two goals in two games, and Victor Hedman reached his fourth 50-assist season. Kucherov hit the 120-point mark for the second consecutive season, marking his third time achieving this milestone in his career.
A key moment in the game came when Tampa Bay scored a short-handed goal while on a penalty kill, breaking the game open. The Lightning will finish their regular season against the New York Rangers before facing the Panthers in the playoffs. The victory highlights the Lightning’s strong performance heading into the postseason, while the Panthers will look to regroup and come back stronger in the playoffs.
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