The Tampa Bay Lightning escaped the Florida Panthers 6-3 in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals at Amalie Arena on Saturday night. The Panthers now lead the best-of-seven series 3-1. The Cats came wrap up the series on Monday in Sunrise.
Tampa Bay struck first in a contest for the first time in the series with a power-play goal at 8:54 of the opening period. Brandon Hagel centered the puck from the right goal line and Brayden Point backhanded it from the top of the crease. Steven Stamkos fired a one-time slap shot from the low left circle for his fourth goal of the series and 100th career postseason point.
It became 2-0 for the Bolts on a shorthanded goal with 7:51 left in the first. Victor Hedman poked the puck away in his own zone and Hagel brought in down the left side of the neutral zone. Hagel snapped a shot by Sergei Bobrovsky from the high slot for his second tally of the postseason.
The Lightning increased it to a three-goal margin with 4:53 to go in the period during a 4-on-4 situation. Point carried the puck from around his own cage all the way to the Bolts blue line. He angled a pass to Nikita Kucherov and he returned the puck to him inside the Panthers blue line. Point skated through the right circle and then placed in a wraparound shot for his second goal in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Hedman was credited with a secondary assist on the play. It was only the second time this season that the Panthers surrendered at least three goals in the first period.
In the second period, Florida cut the deficit to 3-1 at the 4:17 mark. Anton Lundell cycled the puck from the left wing. Matthew Tkachuk centered it from behind the Lightning cage and Carter Verhaeghe snapped a shot from the right of the crease for his third goal of the series.
The Bolts made it 4-1 on another 4-on-4 circumstance at 9:40. Hagel collected his second goal of the contest on a wrist shot.
The Panthers closed it to 4-2 with 8:50 remaining in the second on a power-play goal. Tkachuk sent a pass from right circle and Sam Reinhart powered a one-time shot from the slot area which was saved by Andrei Vasilevskiy. Brandon Montour followed with a forehand shot from the left of the crease and it was stopped. Reinhart backhanded a shot from the crease area for his third goal of the postseason.
It became 4-3 with 5:27 to go in the period. Eetu Luostarinen pushed a lead pass from his own zone. Evan Rodgiues got to the right point and connected a cross-ice pass. Oliver Ekman-Larsson then released a snap shot from the high slot for the tally. It was the first postseason goal for Ekman-Larsson in four years.
The Lightning expanded their lead to 5-3 at the 9:34 mark. Kucherov raced for the puck on the right wing and fed a pass from the right point. Stamkos took a wrist shot from above the left circle for his second goal of the game and fifth goal in the playoffs.
The Bolts added a 5-on-3 power-play goal with 3:38 left in the third for a 6-3 advantage. Hedman angled a pass from the top of the zone and Kucherov passed from the right wing. Nick Paul had his first shot saved, but he flipped in a backhand shot from the blue paint.
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