Nikita Kucherov had a goal and three assists to guide the Lightning to a 5-1 victory over the Florida Panthers on Sunday in Tampa.
Kucherov’s brilliance, the top scorer in the playoffs for the past two years, has allowed the Lightning to lead 3-0 in this series. Tampa Bay troops could finish Monday night at home.
The Panthers, holders of the NHL’s best season record, were eliminated by the Lightning in six first-round games in 2021. They have only scored three goals in three games in the current series against rivals Florida. .
Eric Cernak scored the eventual winner in the third minute of the second period. Steven Stamkos scored twice, while Corey Perry added a net for two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Lightning.
Andrei Vasilevskiy was again effective in front of his net and stopped 34 pucks for Jon Cooper’s staff.
Sam Reinhart ended a pointless 25 powerplay drought for the Panthers since the playoffs began, one of the extraordinary moments of the visitors ’celebration.
Sergei Bobrovsky gave up 3 times on 34 shots in front of the Panthers goal.
More details to come.
Source: Radio-Canada
