By Jake Ricker
The Tampa Bay Lightning looked to force a game 5 while avoiding being swept on home ice vs the Florida Panthers. Here is how the Lightning stacked up in last night's matchup.
Stamkos-Point-Kucherov
Duclair-Cirelli-Hagel
Eyssimont-Paul-Chaffee
Jeannot-Glendening-Motte
Hedman-Dumba
Sergachev-Cernak
Lilleberg-Crozier
Vasilevskiy
Here are the biggest takeaways from the Lightning's 6-3 win over the Panther.
Fast Start
The Lightning came out swinging in this game, and for the first time in the series, they held the lead after 20 minutes of play. This was the start the Lightning had been looking for, and it was really nice to see them not only get the offense going but also keep their foot on the gas for the entirety of the period.
Perhaps one of the most important things from the first was the power play, which got a much-needed goal, ending a long slump. This was a big part of the momentum shifting in favor of the Lightning. This period really could not have gone much better with the Bolts up 3-0 and Amalie Arena rocking.
Second Period
The Panthers pushed back in the second and made it a one-goal game. The Lightning has to be careful of this, as there is no room for error, facing elimination. Luckily, Vasilevskiy made some big saves, and being at home, the Panthers had a harder time capturing the momentum. But with the series now shifting back to Sunrise, any slip-up gets not only the Panthers into the game but the crowd as well.
The second has normaly been the Lightning's best period, and they did still have some good moments, scoring a huge goal in the second. The Defense had gotten a little shakey as the Lightning seemed to get too comfortable. The D core did have a shakeup in this game with Perbix and Raddysh out of the lineup and Sergachev returning the lineup for the firs time since his injury. It can always be hard for a player to jump right back into the playoffs, but Sergacehv played well and hopefully only gets better from here. Steven Stamkos
Stamkos now has 5 goals in 4 games this postseason and has looked unstoppable. Stamkos is leading by example and has been the consistent bright spot in the Lightning's lineup. He even helped get Point and Kucherov going, after the lineup changes, who have been quiet up until tonight.
This is what a Captain does, and Stamkos is not only scoring but blocking shots and creating chances. If Stamkos can continue to play like this and guys like Kucherov can feed off it, the Lightning can absolutely continue to make a comeback in this series.
Final Thoughts
Was it perfect? No. Was it what the Lightning needed? Absolutely! The Lightning forced game 5, got the power play going, and fired up the offense. Things are only going to get harder from here, so they will need to be even better, but it all starts with one win and that's what the Lightning got tonight to keep the season alive.
Next game - Round 1 Game 5 Monday, April 29th Lightning @ Panthers 7:00 PM EST
Three Stars
Media's three-stars
1. Stamkos (2G)
2. Hagel (2G,1A)
3. Sergachev (1A)
Our three-stars
1. Hagel (2G,1A)
2. Stamkos (2G)
3. Sergachev (1A)
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