The biggest moments of this contest occurred early on. In the opening four minutes, the Lightning allowed two odd-man rush goals (one of which was shorthanded) and fell into an early deficit from which they were unable to recover.
Those two rush coverage errors set the tone for the rest of the game, as the Panthers were able to play with a multi-goal lead. Jon Cooper said afterwards, both teams were “tired”—the Lightning were playing the first game back after a week-long road trip, while the Panthers were finishing up a trip that took them to three different time zones. But with two tired teams, the club that can get a lead will put itself in the driver’s seat.
The Panthers did that. They weren’t too concerned about pressing the attack. They finished the game with only 34 total shot attempts. But they defended extremely well. Their sticks were in the passing lanes, and they contested Lightning puck carriers all over the ice. It was difficult for the Lightning to create open looks, and they certainly didn’t have the odd-man chances that the Panthers got early on that turned into two goals. Sergei Bobrovsky stopped many of the chances that the Lightning did generate.
There was a bit of bad luck along the way for the Lightning. During the early power play on which they’d already given up the shorthanded goal to Sam Reinhart, Yanni Gourde hit the post on a shot that would have tied the game at one. Moments later, the Panthers tacked on their second goal. On that tally, Seth Jones attempted to clear the puck from the defensive zone, but it hit Nick Paul’s stick and caromed directly to Uvis Balinskis. One pass later, and the Panthers had a three-on-one. On Carter Verhaeghe’s third-period goal, Max Crozier broke his stick in the neutral zone and was without one as the Panthers attacked his side of the ice.
But ultimately, the Panthers simply outplayed the Lightning. They converted on their chances and defended at a high level. Bobrovsky gave them timely saves, especially in the first period. Conversely, the Lightning made isolated defensive mistakes that proved to be extremely costly.
The Lightning continue their homestand on Thursday against the LA Kings, who play in Sunrise against the Panthers the night before.
Lightning Radio Three Stars of the Game (as selected by Phil Esposito):
- Sam Reinhart — Panthers. Two goals.
- Sergei Bobrovsky — Panthers. 26 saves.
- Max Crozier — Lightning. First NHL goal.
