Panthers Eliminate Lightning In Game 5

     The Florida Panthers wrapped up the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals with a 6-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 5 at Amerant Bank Arena on Monday night. The Cats, who won the best-of-seven series 4-1, moved on to the Eastern Conference Semifinals for the third straight season. 

     It was the first time that the Panthers won a series against the Lightning in the postseason. The Bolts defeated the Cats in six games during the first round in 2021 and swept them in the second round in 2022. 

     The Panthers were involved in their eighth home handshake line in franchise history. It was just the fourth time that Florida finished a postseason series victorious at home. 

     There was no scoring in the first period. Florida got on the scoreboard 45 seconds into the second period on a 4-on-4 goal to take a 1-0 lead. Carter Verhaeghe angled a pass to Aleksander Barkov in the left circle and he returned it back. Verhaeghe took a forehand shot from the high slot which was saved by Andrei Vasilevskiy. Verhaeghe got to the rebound and snapped a shot from the slot area scored his fourth goal of the series. 

     The Panthers got a shorthanded goal with 7:22 left in the second for a 2-0 advantage. Sam Reinhart won the faceoff in the right circle. Gustav Forsling pushed the puck from the right point and Aaron Ekblad let go of a one-time slap shot from the top of the zone that was saved. Barkov released a wrist shot from the right of the crease for his first goal of the playoffs.

     Tampa Bay made it 2-1 with 6:23 to go in the period. Brandon Hagel sent the puck from the right wing to Nikita Kucherov in the right corner. He connected a diagonal pass and Victor Hedman blasted a slap shot from the high slot by Sergei Bobrovsky for his first goal of the postseason. 

     Florida expanded their lead to 3-1 with 8:54 remaining in the third period. Verhaeghe made a centering pass from the right wing and Matthew Tkachuk tip-in shot from the crease area was stopped. Barkov poked in the rebound from the blue paint for his second tally of the game. 

     The Cats increased it to 4-1 with 5:44 left in the third. Kevin Stenlund carried the puck down the right side into the Lightning zone. He passed it across the slot and Evan Rodrigues ripped a one-time slap shot from the left-circle dot for his first goal in the series. Vladimir Tarasenko had the secondary assist on the play. 

     It became 5-1 for the Panthers with 3:57 to go. Tampa Bay pulled their goalie for an extra attacker. Kucherov had the puck checked from him at the Florida blue line. Verhaeghe shot the puck from the neutral zone down the ice into an empty net for his second goal of the contest and fifth goal in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Niko Mikkola added another empty-net goal from the Panthers blue line with 1:10 left for a 6-1 lead.