Lightning Rough Up Panthers

     The Tampa Bay Lightning blanked the Florida Panthers 4-0 on Monday night at Amerant Bank Arena. The Panthers, who had their four-game winning streak snapped, are now 10-3-1 in their last 14 games. The Lightning have won four of their last five contests. Bolts goalie Jonas Johansson had 36 saves for the shutout. 

     Both clubs faced each other in back-to-back nights. The Panthers are off through the Christmas break until Saturday. 

     Tampa Bay(19-11-2) broke out to a 1-0 lead on a 4-on-4 situation at the 6:56 mark. Anthony Cirelli backhanded a pass from the left corner. Victor Hedman sent a square pass from the left wing. Nikita Kucherov raced through the slot area and lifted a backhand shot from the low slot by Sergei Bobrovsky for his 15th goal of the season. 

     The Bolts made it 2-0 at 9:20. Brandon Hagel entered the Panthers zone and dropped a pass above the left circle. Jake Guentzel placed in a wrist shot from the high slot for his 19th goal of the campaign. Hedman was credited with the secondary assist on the sequence. 

     It became 3-0 for the Lightning with 3:36 left in the first on a power-play goal. Nick Paul fed a pass from the right circle to Cirelli at the top of the zone. His slap shot was saved and Michael Chaffee put in a rebound shot from the top of the crease for his seventh tally this year. 

     Neither team scored in the second period. Florida(22-12-2) pulled their goalie on a power play with over six minutes remaining in the third period. Hagel would put in an empty-net goal with 5:42 left in the third for a Tampa Bay four-goal advantage.