Nikita Kucherov was the Lightning catalyst who set up a tying net and then scored his team’s insurance goal when Tampa Bay beat the Florida Panthers 4-1 on Tuesday.
Lightning led 1-0 in the series between the two Florida clubs.
Corey Perry, who scored the first goal for Jon Cooper’s staff, also got an assist.
Ross Colton and Pierre-Édouard Bellemare also hit the mark for two-time defending Stanley Cup champions.
Anthony Duclair, left for the final game of the series between the Panthers and the Washington Capitals, succeeded in his return to the Florida formation by scoring the only goal for the locals.
Quebecer thought he had tied the game for his team in the third period, but his goal was not allowed because the puck touched the protective net behind Lightning’s goal without the officials knowing on the ice. Lightning then flew by registering two more times on the clock.
Andrei Vasilevskiy is imperial in front of the Lightning cage. He only gave up once on 36 shots. His counterpart, Sergei Bobrovsky, blocked 32 shots in the defeat.
Panthers special units were again kept quiet. After failing to score on 18 occasions against the Washington Capitals, the Panthers were shut out of three power plays, while the Lightning scored three with one more man.
The second game of the series will take place on Thursday, still at Sunrise.
Source: Radio-Canada
