The Florida Panthers firmly controlled their first-round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning heading into Game 3 last night. But they now smell blood in the water after claiming a 5-3 win to take a 3-0 series lead over a Lightning team who looked beaten by a deeper Panthers side.
Panthers have a killer instinct
The first 5 minutes or so of yesterday’s match belonged to the Panthers, but it didn’t take long for the Lightning to regain momentum, thanks to the Panthers’ march towards to trash sin. The Lightning ran three power plays in the first period, a perfect opportunity to take an early lead and take the lead in a must-win game.
Unfortunately for the Lightning, the Panthers didn’t get there. The Lightning had the best power play in the league during the regular season, but you wouldn’t know it last night. They looked disjointed and struggled to prepare for shots on goal from the Panthers, who were forced to turn and clear the ball before the Lightning could do anything with it.
Related: Panthers lead with win over Lightning in Game 3
After Panthers killed off Lightning’s first two power plays, line Matthew Tkachuk, Anton Lundell and Carter Verhaeghe, who has been a problem for the Lightning since head coach Paul Maurice regrouped them after the injury to Sam Bennett, who scored to give the Cats a 1-0 lead.
Any momentum the Lightning had on those first two power plays, even though they also didn’t score, evaporated. However, they started the second half brightly and scored two quick goals to lead the Panthers 2-1. The Lightning began to tilt the ice in their favor after those two goals and ended up controlling just over 77 percent of the expected goals (xG%) at five-on-five in the middle frame.
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But just like the Panthers had done earlier in the game, and really for most of this series, they found a way to turn the tides and kill the Lightning’s momentum. Going completely against the run of play, Sam Reinhart fired a wicked wrister past Andrei Vasilevskiy to knot things up at 2-2.
Even watching the game on TV, you could feel the air come out of the arena and the Lightning. From there, the Panthers took control and scored two unanswered to go up 4-2 before the Lightning got one back late in the third period. The Panthers were Eastern Conference champions for a reason a season ago, so we know they have that killer instinct. And it looks like they still have a chance to start the playoffs this year.
Lundell paired with Tkachuk and Verhaeghe
The Panthers will certainly need Bennett as they move forward, but I doubt Maurice will have many complaints about how Lundell replaced Tkachuk and Verhaeghe. Sure, having two good wingers like Tkachuk and Verhaeghe would be helpful, but Lundell isn’t taking them seriously.
Lundell not only scored the first goal of the match but also made a beautiful pass into the net for Tkachuk to catch the first pass. Lundell finished last night with an xG% just above 67 percent and looks like he should have no trouble filling in for Bennett for however long this series continues.
Anton Lundell Florida Panthers
Florida Panthers center Anton Lundell (Photo by Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)
Still, the Panthers might have something to work with here. Tkachuk, Lundell and Verhaeghe were causing problems for the Lightning in Game 2, and last night was no different. It does speak to the Panthers’ depth that they can move up Lundell and not miss a beat without Bennett, but the Lightning have not had an answer for this line so far.
Case and point, Tkachuk spent 5:33 of his ice time against Anthony Cirelli, but he still posted an xG% above 86 percent against Cirelli. He also played 5:54 against Brandon Hagel and totaled an xG% just above 86 percent against him. Those are the Lightning’s two best defensive forwards. If Tkachuk and his linemates post those numbers against Hagel and Cirelli, I’m not sure there’s much the Lightning can do.
Panthers’ 4th Line Comes Through Again
A significant reason the Panthers tilted the ice in their favor in Game 2 was because of their depth players, specifically in their bottom six. While the Panthers didn’t dominate at five-on-five last night as they did in Game 2, their depth players played a significant role in helping the team grab a commanding 3-0 series lead.
After getting goals from Tkachuk and Reinhart to make it 2-2, the Panthers’ fourth line arguably won the game. With the score tied at 2-2, they went to work for the go-ahead goal. The Lightning had multiple chances to get the puck out of the defensive zone, but Nick Cousins, Steven Lorentz and Kyle Okposo kept the puck alive and forced the Lightning into an extended shift.
The Panthers won a couple of board battles on the wall, and Lorentz eventually got the puck to Brandon Montour, who launched a wicked slapshot from the point that found its way past a screened Vasilevskiy. That’s not where the fourth line’s work ended, too.
On what was a seemingly harmless dump-in from Gustav Forsling about halfway through the third, Cousins somehow managed to redirect the puck to the slot. It found its way to Lorentz, who put the puck past Vasilevskiy for what was the eventual game-winning goal.
The lineup of Lorentz, Cousins and Okposo didn’t play much 5-on-5 (just 3:39 as a unit), but they did score two goals and had an xG% just above 83%. They have been the difference for the Panthers in their last two matches, as they clearly outperformed the Lightning’s bottom six. Earning those minutes proved crucial and was one of the main reasons the Panthers took a 3-0 lead in the series.
The Panthers will begin their sweep tomorrow at 5pm EST. Follow The Hockey Writers for the latest in the media as the Panthers look to make another deep playoff run.