Last year’s Stanley Cup runners-up are moving on to the second round.
The Florida Panthers beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 6-1 on Monday to win their first-round series 4-1. It’s Florida’s fifth series win in the past three seasons. As for the Lightning, after winning back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2020 and 2021 and making the Cup final in 2022, they’ve now suffered two straight eliminations in the first round.
Handshake time!
Panthers win Game 5 by a score of 6-1, eliminating Tampa Bay and moving on to round two for the third straight season. #TimeToHunt Game 5 recap @TheHockeyNews ⬇️ https://t.co/BOcNUzVt7r
— David Dwork (@DavidDwork) April 30, 2024
Panthers forward Carter Verhaeghe scored 45 seconds into the game, and captain Aleksander Barkov made it a two-goal lead. While Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman cut the deficit to one, Barkov and Evan Rodrigues increased Florida’s lead to 4-1 in the third period. Verhaeghe scored his fifth goal of the series on an empty-netter, and defenseman Niko Mikkola added another.
Sergei Bobrovsky, one of this year’s Vezina Trophy finalists, stopped 31 of 32 shots for the Panthers. He bounced back from conceding six goals on Saturday when Tampa Bay prevented the sweep in a 6-3 Bolts win. Andrei Vasilevskiy, meanwhile, stopped 33 of 37 shots in Monday’s loss.
Panthers fans chanted “na na na na, hey hey hey, goodbye,” during the final moments of the game.
Na na na na, na na na na,
hey hey,
goodbye 👋 pic.twitter.com/PVJGOvRUmp— Bally Sports Florida: Panthers (@BallyPanthers) April 30, 2024
With that series win, the Panthers now await the Boston Bruins or Toronto Maple Leafs in the second round.
And with that series loss, the Tampa Bay Lightning now face a crossroads with captain Steven Stamkos, who becomes a UFA this off-season. The 2008 first overall pick has played 16 seasons and 1,082 games for the Bolts, but with a projected $11.69 million in cap space and only 17 of 23 roster spots filled, per PuckPedia, Stamkos may need to take a discount to stay in Tampa Bay or go elsewhere.
More to come.
Related: Tampa Bay Lightning’s Roster Dilemma Could Get Even Tougher If They Lose in First Round
Related: NHL Playoff Predictions: Who Moves Ahead in the East? Are Routs and Upsets in Store?
Related: New York Rangers Sweep the Washington Capitals, First Team to Advance to Round 2
News Summary:
- Florida Panthers Knock Out Tampa Bay Lightning in Five Games
- Check all news and articles from the latest NHL updates.