JUST IN: Florida on fringe of 1st-round rout

TAMPA, Fla. — Sergei Bobrovsky made 26 saves, Matthew Tkachuk scored twice and the Florida Panthers beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-3 on Thursday night to take a 3-0 lead in the first-round playoff series.

Brandon Montour, Sam Reinhart and Steven Lorentz also scored for the Panthers, who will seek a sweep Saturday night in Tampa.

Tkachuk had a first-period goal and added an empty-netter with 32 seconds left.

“We’re playing some good hockey right now, and we’re happy with where we’re at right now in the series,” Tkachuk said. “The fourth [win] is the hardest, everyone says that, so we have to come out absolutely ready to go on Saturday.”

Steven Stamkos, Tyler Motte and Nicholas Paul scored for Tampa Bay, with Paul cutting it to 4-3 with 5:10 left. Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 26 shots.

Lightning Coach Cooper Challenges Team’s Belief After Game 3 Loss

• Lightning coach Jon Cooper acknowledged the difficulty in addressing the team after their Game 3 loss, saying, “It’s tough when you get in situations like this what you’re going to say right at this moment [to the team].”
• However, Cooper challenged the players, stating, “But the talk is you want the believers to show up to the rink tomorrow. And if you’re not going to believe, then you don’t have to come. Well see how many guys show up tomorrow.”
• Brandon Montour gave the Panthers a 3-2 lead late in the second period with a shot from the blue line. Steven Lorentz then extended the lead to two goals early in the third period.
• After withstanding pressure from the Lightning, the Panthers were able to tie the game at 2-2 on a goal by Sam Reinhart in the second period.
• Steven Stamkos and Tyler Motte had scored earlier in the second period to give the Lightning a 2-1 lead, but Stamkos acknowledged, “I thought we played probably the best 10 minutes of the series right there. We were controlling the play. Then, it’s just little mistakes that are made are costing us.

• Stamkos Shines with Hits and Key Defensive Play

  • In addition to his offensive contributions, Steven Stamkos showcased his physicality with six hits and a crucial block on Vladimir Tarasenko’s empty-net attempt.
  • Matthew Tkachuk broke the scoreless tie midway through the first period, just 32 seconds after the Panthers successfully killed off Tampa Bay’s second power play.
  • Tkachuk joined a select group of U.S.-born players by scoring his 20th postseason goal in 50 games or fewer, a list that includes his father, Keith Tkachuk.
  • Tampa Bay seemed to equalize with 18 seconds remaining in the first period, but Anthony Cirelli’s goal on their third power play was disallowed after a video review revealed an offside play.
  • Despite having the best regular-season power play in the NHL, the Lightning went 0 for 4 on the power play in this game, while Florida did not have any power play opportunities.
  • Florida coach Paul Maurice highlighted the significance of penalty killing, stating, “I thought the big story would be penalty killing. It’s just such a dominant, highly skilled power play.”
  • Due to injuries to Sam Bennett and Ryan Lomberg, Kyle Okposo, acquired from Buffalo in March, made his playoff debut since 2016, contributing with an assist in the lineup.
  • Carolina’s Burns and Orlov lead the way as Hurricanes secure a 3-0 series lead over New YorkIn a strong start, defensemen Brent Burns and Dmitry Orlov propelled the Carolina Hurricanes to a 3-0 lead in the first-round series against New York. Sebastian Aho also contributed a goal, with Andrei Svechnikov providing two assists. Frederik Andersen’s 29 saves helped secure Carolina’s eighth win in nine games at UBS Arena. Brock Nelson and Pierre Engvall scored for the Islanders, who are on the brink of elimination for the second consecutive year. Ilya Sorokin replaced Semyon Varlamov in the second period after allowing three goals on 14 shots. Varlamov made eight saves after coming on Game 4 is scheduled for Saturday in New York. Andersen showcased his skills with key saves, including one falling backward on a shot by Alexander Romanov. The Islanders pulled Varlamov for an extra skater but couldn’t find the equalizer. Despite trailing 2-0 after the first period, the Islanders narrowed the gap in the second period, with Engvall and Nelson scoring. Aho extended Carolina’s lead, but Nelson’s late goal kept the Islanders in contention. New York outshot Carolina 15-9 in the first period but found themselves down 2-0 after the opening 20 minutes, surpassing their total shots in the previous game.

  • Hurricanes Defensemen Lead the Way in Game 3 Win

    • Brent Burns opened the scoring for the Carolina Hurricanes, firing a shot from the top of the right circle that deflected off Islanders defenseman Mike Reilly and past goaltender Ilya Sorokin at the 4:46 mark.
    • Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen made a stellar glove save, reaching to his left to deny Noah Dobson’s rebound attempt off a shot by Mathew Barzal, preserving Carolina’s lead.
    • Dmitry Orlov then extended the Hurricanes’ advantage to 2-0, beating Sorokin on the stick side from the left circle just over a minute after Burns’ goal. This marked the second consecutive game where a Hurricanes defenseman scored, after forwards had tallied all the goals in the first two games.
    • The Hurricanes were without defenseman Brett Pesce, who suffered a lower-body injury in Game 2. Tony DeAngelo took Pesce’s place, pairing with Brady Skjei on the Carolina blue line.
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    • Physical Matchup Between Panthers and Lightning in Game 3

      The image shows Florida Panthers center Carter Verhaeghe (23) taking down Tampa Bay Lightning center Brayden Point (21) during the second period of Game 3 in their NHL Stanley Cup first-round playoff series.The physical nature of the play between the two players is evident, as Verhaeghe appears to have initiated contact and brought Point down to the ice. This type of hard-hitting, intense action is typical of the high-stakes playoff environment, as the two in-state rivals battle for an advantage in the series.The photograph, captured by AP photographer Chris O’Meara, provides a visual representation of the competitive and physical matchup unfolding between the Panthers and Lightning in this crucial Game 3 contest.