Sunday, 4 a.m.
For years, the Florida Panthers have chased.
Always, it seems, the Tampa Bay Lightning taunt them. The Panthers made trades with the Lightning in mind. They build lines with the Lightning in mind.
Turns out, the Panthers have a little more work to do.
The Lightning took a 4-1 victory over Florida Saturday
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afternoon at Amalie Arena, closing out another game in the third period. The Bolts scored three times in the final period to choke off the Panthers.
It was a strong win, especially considering a shaky start that coach Jon Cooper referred to as "a train wreck." Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy helped the Bolts withstand that one.
Tampa Bay got goals from Pat Maroon (his first of the season), Brayden Point (his 13th), Mikhail Sergachev and Steven Stamkos (the 496th of his career).
The Bolts killed four penalties to keep the potent Panthers at bay. The Bolts are 7-2 in games decided in the third period.
“If you want to make the playoffs you’ve got to win those, especially at home," said Lightning coach Jon Cooper. "I liked the way we played down the stretch."
Goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 24 of 25 shots to run his record to 11-8-1.
"I don't look at the numbers," said Maroon. "He's played well all season."
Said Stamkos: "It might not be the story of the game, because we won 4-1, but in the room, we know he's the reason we won."
The Bolts play at home again on Tuesday night, facing the Seattle Kraken at 7 p.m.
