Panthers push Lightning to brink of elimination with 5-3 Game 3 victory
Published in Hockey
TAMPA, Fla. — The Florida Panthers are one win away from taking their opening-round Stanley Cup Playoffs series against their in-state rival.
The Panthers won Game 3 of the best-of-7 series against the Tampa Bay Lightning, 5-3, on Thursday at Amalie Arena to take a commanding 3-0 lead in the series. Game 4 is at 5 p.m. Saturday in Tampa, and provides Florida a chance to get the second-ever playoff series sweep in franchise history — the other was their Eastern Conference finals series win over the Carolina Hurricanes last season.
Sam Reinhart and Brandon Montour scored 6:32 apart in the second period to turn a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 lead. Matthew Tkachuk opened scoring in the first period and capped it with an empty-netter. Steven Lorentz then scored in the third for the eventual game-winning goal.
Steven Stamkos and Tyler Motte scored in the opening three minutes of the second period to give the Lightning an early 2-1 lead — their first lead of the entire series — before Florida mounted its comeback. Nicholas Paul got Tampa Bay within a goal with 5:10 left.
Sergei Bobrovsky made 26 saves for the Panthers. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 26 saves for the Lightning.
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