For any Lightning fan, Game 1 was a disaster. While the first period showed some competitive promise, the Florida Panthers utterly dominated the Lightning for the rest of the matchup.
In the playoffs, there is such a great temptation to look at the Lightning right now and claim defeat. “It's so over!” Tampa fans may exclaim. However it is important to remember the Lightning are playing in a seven game series. The series isn’t over until a team claims four wins.
Now that Game 1 is in the past and fans have had some time to breathe, evaluating Game 1 is critical.
What went wrong?
The answer to what is wrong is like a double edged sword: one side is good, the other side is not so great.
First, the Lightning can take a look at what is fixable. Simply put, the Lightning were not playing Lightning hockey on April 22, 2025. While we saw glimpses of the team that finished second in the Atlantic division as per the NHL standings, overall the Lightning fell prone to defensive collapses and failure to maintain pressure in the offensive zone.
The Lightning looked the most dangerous when on the power play, their bread and butter over the last few years. Since the departure of Stamkos, the power play has not looked as dangerous as fans would have liked. Even despite Stamkos’s absence, the power play still finished top ten in the NHL as listed by ESPN.
The good news is that the issues that consumed the Lightning on Tuesday night are indeed fixable. Tightening up the structure of what made the Lightning the most offensively deadly team in terms of goals for as listed by the NHL will allow the Lightning to unleash their offensive prowess.
However, the solution only follows if the Lightning can manage to set the tone early. Tampa was overwhelmed by the Panthers and it showed with ESPN recording the final score being a 6-2 win favoring the Panthers.
The Panthers just played better than the Lightning
The current Florida Panthers are only one year removed from their last Stanley Cup and show every intention of wanting to become back-to-back Stanley Cup Champions this year. On Tuesday night, the Panthers were relentless.
Panther hockey is high-energy and led by offensive juggernauts in Matthew Tkachuk, Alexander Barkov, and Sam Reinhart. Every line on the Panthers overwhelmed the Lightning in a way that swung momentum in Florida’s favor. Whether it was a big hit, a quick goal, or even a simple defensive play, the Panthers were firing on all cylinders.
Nevertheless, the scariest part of the whole evening, if it wasn't already a nightmare, was that the Panthers found a way to beat Vasilevskiy. After posting a 0.647 Save percentage as listed by the NHL, fans would be quick to assume the Big Cat is in big distress.
However, it is only one game. Vasilevskiy, with or without this game, is still one of the best goaltenders in the entire NHL. Vasilevskiy is a goalie that has shown in the past that he can perform when the lights are brightest. Be on the lookout for Vasilevskiy to bounce back in remarkable fashion for Game 2.
So, what now? What are the keys for Game 2?
Remember the game, forget the result
Lingering upon the results of the last game will not help anyone. The Lightning are playing a seven-game series where the result of four games, not one, determines the winner. Moving past one loss will allow the Lightning to focus on the present, not the past. A number of lessons can be learned from any loss, so holding those lessons close will allow the Lightning not to repeat their failures from the past. Look for the Lightning to hopefully bounce back in the series.
Set the tone early
The NHL playoffs is a completely different beast than the NHL regular season. The pace, rigor, and overall environment takes the sport of hockey we all know and love to a completely elevated level. As a result, momentum means the difference between a loss and a win. Setting the tone early as soon as the puck hits the ice is a critical instrument for the Lightning to get ahead in the series. After all, it is easier to create momentum in the beginning than to be struggling to fight to get it back from a feisty Florida Panthers roster.
Make responsible plays
In the playoffs, the margin for error is close to zero. Every decision, hit, and play drives the team either much closer or much farther away from the Stanley Cup. Therefore, making responsible plays at every level is important now more than ever. Maintaining control is easier said than done. In such a fast-paced sport, there is little time to concentrate and make the “right” play. Staying calm, cool, and collected will take the Lightning’s puck management to a much more responsible intensity.
The Lightning have been here before
Like I mentioned prior, staying calm, cool, and collected is a fundamental attribute to any Stanley Cup-winning roster. It is so easy to overreact after Game 1 and fall into despair that the Lightning may not beat the Panthers this year. “What if the Lightning fall in the first round AGAIN?” the concerned Bolts fan may question.
To that point, it is important to remember that the Lightning have been in tougher spots. The Lightning core of the back-to-back Stanley Cup run is still largely on the current roster and show no signs of quitting.
Tampa has endured a lot of hardship over the last few years. Whether it be being eliminated in the first round after a historic 2018-19 season, or traveling to three straight Stanley Cup Finals, the Tampa Bay Lightning have played in almost every kind of situation, all under the leadership of Jon Cooper.
So long as the team still has a spark and there is time on the clock, the Tampa Bay Lightning will play relentlessly until the final buzzer. All that is left for the loyal fans to be the thunder up until the very end.