TAMPA, Fla. — The Florida Panthers defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 6-3 in Game 5, propelled by Eetu Luostarinen`s performance featuring a goal and three assists. This victory clinched the first-round series for Florida, allowing them to advance to the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Additional goals for Florida came from Carter Verhaeghe, Anton Lundell, Aleksander Barkov, Sam Bennett, and Sam Reinhart. Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky made 26 saves during the game. The reigning Stanley Cup champion Panthers successfully eliminated their cross-state rivals, the Lightning, in the first round for the second consecutive postseason, wrapping up this series in five games.
Next, the Panthers are set to play the winner of the series between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators. Currently, Toronto holds a 3-2 lead in that matchup.
Scoring for Tampa Bay were Nick Paul, Gage Goncalves, and Jake Guentzel. Andrei Vasilevskiy finished the game with 25 saves. After reaching the Stanley Cup Final three years in a row from 2020 to 2022, the Lightning have now faced first-round elimination for three consecutive seasons. Their recent record in home playoff games has also dropped significantly, standing at 1-9 over their last 10 such contests.
Tristan Blackwood