Game three had a particularly interesting turn for the
Florida Panthers
versus the
Tampa Bay Lightning
, where Tampa Bay found the flow and reinvigorated all dreams of the playoffs. The Panthers struck first, but it was
Jake Guentzel
and his wingmen who managed to find their way to victory against an enemy crowd. Now, Florida turns to a new challenge, that of heading into an all-important Game 4, knowing Tampa Bay isn't going to bow out quietly from a hard-fought series.
Jake Guentzel takes charge of the Tampa Bay Lightning against the Florida Panthers
Matthew Tkachuk provided the early lift to the Panthers, scoring into a loose net from close range and beating the Tampa Bay netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy. But before Florida could even begin celebrating, Jake Guentzel and Brayden Point teamed up to balance the game when Point deflected Guentzel's shot late in the first period to put Tampa Bay back in the fight.
As the second stanza commences, it was a very tight contest between the two teams but it was Nick Paul who broke the ice for Tampa Bay at slipping the puck into Sergei Bobrovsky to give the Lightning their first lead of the series. And henceforth, Tampa Bay was in charge of the action. Guentzel capped his strong performance early in the third period by hammering home a close-range shot to extend the lead.
The Panthers, having 34 more shots than their opponents, once again had their chances stifled by the collected headspace of Vasilevskiy. In the words of Florida coach Paul Maurice, the pain-inducing elements included emotional misfires and poor puck movement. According to him, it was that high-intensity opening period that threw the Panthers off their flow and into a disjointed performance.
To put an exception to those worries, Luke Glendening and Anthony Cirelli made it even more open on the scoreboard with two late hits, including an ice-leveler, thus carrying Tampa Bay away with a 5-1 rout.
Also Read: Jake Guentzel: One of the NHL's top stars, from rookie sensation to clutch performer
Missing the end of Game 2 had put lots of hope on Argentina's return to the lineup, but the reality of having him back stood refreshed Monday night when Game 4 threatened to decide the series in favor of the Panthers. But, it is really up to Jake Guentzel and the Lightning in Monday's Game 4 edition. The Panthers have a window of time to regroup before Tampa Bay catches up in the series, or it will be the case for watching their dominance at the start slip through their fingers.
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