5 Takeaways from Lightning vs. Panthers Game 1

The Tampa Bay Lightning opened their second round series in the battle of Florida with a 4-1 win over the Florida Panthers. The win came in what felt like a very strange game with very low energy and intensity for much of the game that certainly did not feel like the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Neither team played particularly well but the Lightning showed why they are champions. They found a way to win a textbook road game in their first full game without Brayden Point.

Let’s get into what we took away.

1. Making Florida Pay

One of the biggest stories when these two teams met last spring was the lack of disciplined play by Florida. They put the Lightning on the powerplay too many times then, and they did so again in game one.

Florida put the Lightning on the powerplay six total times and Tampa Bay made them pay on half of them. The third goal on the man advantage came after a failed coaches challenge, but it put the game completely out of reach as the Lightning’s second powerplay unit was able to make it 4-1.

2. Kucherov on his Game

Nikita Kucherov did not exactly look like himself in round one. He still got his points, but something always looked off. He was clearly battling through something, possibly an illness.

In game one, Kucherov had his feet moving and was a constant threat and even had a few impressive back-checks on defense. Kucherov’s skating created a number of chances including the opening goal where he set up Corey Perry with a beautiful assist for a powerplay goal. Kucherov completely embarrassed Aaron Ekblad for what ended up being the highlight of the night.

3. Depth Pitching in

Without Point in the lineup, obviously others have to step up. The Lightning got some of those contributions further down the lineup with an impressive outing from their fourth line. Pierre-Edouard Bellemare scored what would be the game winning goal in the third period as Perry added another assist as did Pat Maroon as well. With one less forward in the rotation, all three of these guys were due for an increase in ice-time and they were very effective in game one.

4. Another Defensive Masterpiece

After getting the go-ahead goal in the third period, Tampa Bay locked the game down once again like they did in game seven against Toronto. The Lightning outshot Florida 18-10 in the third as they did an excellent job of limiting the Panthers opportunities. Florida has been known for the comebacks all season long, but they never really had a sniff of one in the third period.