Monday, 3 a.m.
Turns out, the Tampa Bay Lightning isn’t ready to stop playing yet.
The Lightning, one foot in the grave in the NHL playoffs, showed a bit of a pulse Sunday afternoon in a 6-3 victory over the Florida Panthers. The Bolts showed their most aggressiveness, their most efficiency, in the victory.
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Oh, they’re still in rouble. In 206 series, only four teams have rallied from a 3-0 deficit. The Bolts must fight off three more elimination games, starting Monday night on the road. But at least they will not go quietly into the night.
Tampa Bay rode its best players to the win. Among the highlights:
— Steven Stamkos scored two goals. He scored for the fourth straight game, continuing his hot streak. In his last 22 games, he has 21 goals and 13 assists.
— Brandon Hagel had two goals and an assist. His first goal was shorthanded.
— Brayden Point, Nikita Kucherov and Victor Hedman all had three points.
— Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 22 of 25 shots.
— Defenseman Mikhail Sergachev returned to the ice after missing much of the season with an injury. He had an assist.
— The power play scored twice.
The Panthers came from three goals down to within 4-3 at the end of the second period, but the Bolts put away the game in the third.
