Lightning Eliminate Panthers In Game 6

     The Florida Panthers ended their 2020-21 campaign on Wednesday night. They were defeated by the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-0 in Game 6 at Amalie Arena and lost the best-of-seven series 4-2. The Panthers have still not won a postseason series since 1996. 

     Tampa Bay scored on their first shot on goal for the second straight game at the 6:16 mark of the first period. Mikhail Sergachev flipped the puck from his own blue line and Tyler Johnson beat Anton Stralman to the goal line to waive off icing. He made a backhand pass from the end wall and Pat Maroon poked it in from the top of the crease by Spencer Knight. It was Maroon's 18th career postseason goal. 

     In the second period, the Lightning expanded their lead to 2-0 with 6:33 left on a power-play tally. Nikita Kucherov pushed the puck back from the right circle to Victor Hedman at the top of the zone. He angled a pass to his left and Steven Stamkos fired a  one-time slap shot from the left-circle dot. 

     Florida surrendered another goal with 5:24 remaining in the third period and trailed 3-0. Erik Cernak cleared the puck out of the zone with a high diagonal pass and Kucherov picked it up on the left wing. He centered it and Brayden Point went around MacKenzie Weegar in the high slot, deked around Knight in the crease and slipped in a forehand shot from the blue paint. 

     The Panthers pulled their goalie for an extra skater with over three minutes to go. Cernak would connect a pass from the right wing and Killorn put it into an empty net with 1:42 left for his 30th postseason goal. 

     It was the second career postseason shutout for Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy. Knight lost his first NHL contest after going 4-0-0 in the regular season and postseason this year.