Panthers get 2 short-handed goals in 2nd, top Lightning for 4th win in row

TAMPA -- A.J. Greer and Eetu Luostarinen each scored a short-handed goal in a 42-second span, and the Florida Panthers defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-2 at Amalie Arena on Sunday.

Greer put the Panthers ahead 2-1 at 10:28 of the second period on the penalty kill after defenseman Uvis Balinskis was called for interference against Nick Paul. Greer stripped Nikita Kucherov of the puck and finished off an odd-man rush by scoring off the rebound of a shot from Tomas Nosek.

Luostarinen then made it 3-1 with another short-handed goal 42 seconds later at 11:10, scoring on a breakaway after forcing Anthony Cirelli into a turnover.

“The 5-on-5 game probably should be pretty even against these two teams; they are both deep and have great goaltending, so it’s hard to generate 5-on-5," Florida coach Paul Maurice said. "You don't expect your kill to be that dynamic, but it's been like that all year and it’s not necessarily a lucky night for us.

“I think that's their 10th short-handed goal this year, and I don't think we cheat for it. It's not like we press forward. It's just good sticks and good reads and quick responses to get that opportunity.”

Said Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper: "I've coached 900-plus games in this league and, honestly, I don't remember giving up two shorties in one power play ... and maybe I have, but I don't remember it. This game is full of momentum, so when you score two short-handed goals on one power play, which team do you think is going to get momentum?"

Sam Reinhart scored twice for the Panthers (22-11-2), who have won four straight and seven of nine. Spencer Knight made 19 saves.

Paul and Brayden Point scored for the Lightning (18-11-2), who had won four in a row and six of seven. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 22 saves.

"They took it to us tonight on the power play and the PK,” Point said. “They were really good on our entries and held the line well. I thought 5-on-5 was a close game. They had their chances and we had chances."

The teams will play again Monday night in Sunrise, the second half of a home-and-home set.

Reinhart gave Florida a 1-0 lead at 15:51 with a power-play goal, redirecting the puck past Vasilevskiy off a shot from Aaron Ekblad.

“Every time we play, it seems like it’s a game like that -- it’s close right down to the wire," Reinhart said. "The more opportunities in those types of games you can have, the better off you’re going to be down the road. So being able to come out on the right side of those games is big for confidence.”

Paul tied it 1-1 at 19:55, scoring from just outside the blue paint after Victor Hedman found him open with the backdoor pass.

“It's a game of mistakes pretty much every night and who makes the least and who capitalizes on their chances when they get looks," Lightning defenseman Ryan McDonagh said. "It is uncharacteristic for us to give up two shorties like that on the same penalty. It is what it is. ...We'll be better tomorrow night”

Point cut it to 3-2 at 3:26 of the third period after he beat Panthers defenseman Dmitry Kulikov to the net and scored on the forehand from close range.

"We regrouped and came back in the third, scored one and had some legit looks and their goalie kicked them out. To me it was a really good hockey game. If you told me we were going to limit Florida to zero 5-on-5 goals, minimal chances all night...I would have really liked our chances. But when you lose special teams 3-0, that's a hard one to bounce back from."

Reinhart scored his second goal of the game into an empty net at 19:29 for the 4-2 final.

“You saw it in the third period, those guys, they're tremendous players and you really can’t be comfortable," Knight said. "You can’t ever get comfortable in the game regardless of how much you’re up by or what time is left just because of how much offensive talent they have. It’s always fun playing them because they’re so talented and it’s like a really good challenge, and that’s what makes us better.”

NOTES: Kucherov’s nine-game point streak ended (three goals, 17 assists). ... Point extended his point streak to eight games (six goals, 12 assists). ... Lightning defenseman Darren Raddysh had two assists, his first multipoint game since Nov. 19 against the Pittsburgh Penguins. ... Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov had an assist on Reinhart's second goal and has 14 points (six goals, eight assists) in the past 11 games.