Panthers Beat Lightning

     Mike Hoffman compiled a hat trick as the Florida Panthers ran through the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-3 at BB&T Center on Saturday night. It was the home opener for the Cats and it ended a home-and home series with the Lightning.
     Neither team put a goal on the scoreboard during the first. The second period would be different when Florida(1-1-0) scored a power-play goal at the 9:39 mark. Keith Yandle sent the puck down from the top of the zone to Jonathan Huberdeau on the left wing. He skated to the left side of the Lightning cage, put a diagonal pass across the crease and Mike Hoffman snapped a shot from the right circle for his second goal of the season.
     The Panthers added another power-play goal to make it 2-0 at 11:05. Yandle guided the puck to Huberdeau in the left circle. He sent a cross-ice pass to Hoffman in the right circle and Hoffman put in a wrist shot for his second tally of the contest.
     The Cats extended the gap to 3-0 with 7:28 left in the period. Dryden Hunt recovered a loose puck in the right corner and dropped it back to Colton Sceviour on the right wing. He threaded a pass to Noel Acciari in the crease and he backhanded a shot past Andrei Vasilievskiy.
     Tampa Bay(1-1-0) closed it to 3-1 with 3:37 remaining in the second.  Pat Maroon, who joined the Bolts this season, made a drop pass from the left circle. Luke Witkowski fired a high wrist shot from the left wing which Sergei Bobrovky saved, however Germel Smith slapped in the rebound from the top of the crease.
     It took just 17 seconds into the third period for Florida to go up 4-1. Aaron Ekblad released a wrist shot from right point and it was redirected in by Hoffman on the edge of the right circle for his third goal of the game. Brett Connolly was also credited with an assist on the play.
     The Lightning got a 4-on-4 goal at the 6:40 mark. Kevin Shattenkirk placed a pass from the right wing to Victor Hedman on the top of the zone. He passed to Steven Stamkos and he then one-timed a slapshot from the from left circle for his first goal of the campaign.
     Tampa Bay chopped the deficit to 4-3 with 4:19 left in the third. Carter Verhaeghe centered the puck from the left wing that grazed off Yanni Gourde in the middle. Mathieu Joseph finished the play with a short shot from the right of the crease.