The Florida Panthers took down the Tampa Bay Lightning in game five, 6-1, to clinch a trip to the second round for the second consecutive season. They beat the Lightning in a playoff round for the first time – the Lightning had won the previous two.
Panthers End It In Five
It looked like the Lightning would open scoring on a goal by Anthony Cirelli. However, the goal would be overturned due to interference. Here is the official explanation for the ruling, per Lightning reporter Chris Krenn.
The first period ended with no score.
The Panthers officially struck first with a goal by Carter Verhaeghe. They tacked on to make it 2-0 on a shorthanded goal by Aleksander Barkov. To add insult to injury, the Lightning found themselves 0-for-3 on the power play in the game – continuing an out-of-character performance seen during the series.
The Lightning did manage to respond quickly and cut the lead in half on the Victor Hedman goal to make it 2-1. In a moment of deja vu, Cirelli appeared to have scored a goal to tie it 2-2 but was waved off due to interference again. This time the Lightning challenged to get the goal back but were unsuccessful. Krenn posted the explanation for this ruling as well.
After 40 minutes, it was still a tight, one-goal game. Then, the Panthers pulled away in the final minutes.
The Panthers went up 3-1 with another goal by Barkov. The Panthers continued to eliminate any uncertainty that they would hang on to win. Evan Rodrigues’ scored to make it 4-1. Verhaeghe (second goal of the game) and Niko Mikkola had an empty net goal apiece to make it a 6-1 final.
The Florida Panthers will face the winner of the Boston Bruins-Toronto Maple Leafs series. The Bruins currently lead the series 3-1. Having just been in the Stanley Cup Final last season, they are making it clear they want to finish what they started. Meanwhile, the Lightning head home in one-and-done fashion for the second straight year. Their back-to-back Stanley Cups move further away into the review mirror.
Related: 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 1 Hub
