NHL: Lightning Score Three in Third to Tame Panthers
TAMPA - The Tampa Bay Lightning (17-9-1) scored three goals in the third period as they earned their 10th win in their last 13 games with a 4-1 win against the Florida Panthers (13-11-4) Saturday at AMALIE Arena.
"I didn't think we moved the puck, managed the puck or moved our feet particularly well tonight," Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said. "We were trying to play a game slower than the game demanded itself to be played. We've got to find a way to get fast on a back-to-back."
Pat Maroon opened the scoring and notched his first goal of the season at 8:40 of the first period.
Zac Dalpe tied the game at 1-1 for the Panthers with a goal at 6:02 of the second period. Assists went to Josh Mahura and Eric Staal.
Brayden Point gave the Bolts a 2-1 lead at 3:03 of the third, sneaking a shot underneath the arm of Panthers goaltender, Sergei Bobrovsky. The goal was Point’s 14th of the season.
Mikhail Sergachev scored his fifth goal of the season to extend the Bolts’ lead to 3-1 at 7:22 of the third period.
Sergachev’s 25 points (5-20—25) lead all Lightning defensemen this season and rank 4th among all Lightning skaters.
Steven Stamkos scored his team-leading 15th goal of the season and extended his point streak to 13 games. The goal came at 16:45 of the third period and gave the Lightning a 4-1 lead.
Andrei Vasilevskiy recorded his 11th win of the season and earned his 4th consecutive win against their down state rivals. Bobrovsky finished with 34 saves.
