Lightning Strike Panthers

    The Florida Panthers finished a four-game road string as they fell to the Tampa Bay Lightning 7-2 at St. Pete Times Forum on Thursday night. It was the first game that the Cats played against a new Atlantic Division opponent since league realignment during the off-season. The Panthers will have their home opener Friday night against the Pittsburgh Penguins and celebrate their 20th anniversary as an NHL franchise.
    Tampa Bay(3-1-0) got out to a 2-0 lead after one period. New Lightning captain Martin St. Louis scored one second after their power play ended at 8:13. Teddy Purcell passed the puck from behind the Panthers cage to Steven Stamkos to the left of the crease. He snapped a pass across to the right side of the crease where St. Louis put in a wrist shot for a 1-0 lead.
    The Lightning extended their lead to 2-0 on a shorthanded goal at 13:54. St. Louis fired a shot from the left-wing boards that was redirected by Stamkos in the low slot area.
    After starting the season 0-for-17 on the power play, Florida(1-3-0) finally scored on the man advantage as Brad Boyes tallied his second goal this season 59 seconds into the second period. He poked in a loose puck in the crease area after Brian Campbell shot the puck into the back wall.
    Stamkos increased the margin for the Lightning to 3-1 with his second goal of the game 8:21 left in the period. Tampa Bay added on to their lead with 4:09 to go in the second when Alex Killorn stole the puck from Mike Weaver in the top left circle, passed across to Ondrej Palat in the right circle and he fired a slapshot by Jacob Markstrom off the post and in.
    The Panthers closed the gap to 4-2 with 16:12 remaining in the third period as Jonathan Huberdeau compiled his first goal of the season with assists from Scott Gomez and Kris Versteeg.
    Tampa Bay would follow with three goals to make it 7-2. Valtteli Filppula got an even-strength goal at 6:38 and a power-play goal at 9:14. Stamkos would follow with his third goal of the game for the hat trick as he rifled a slapshot during the power play from the left side at 12:25.