Lightning Defeat Panthers 5-1, Narrow Series Gap to 2-1

The Tampa Bay Lightning revived their playoff hopes with a decisive 5-1 win over the Florida Panthers in Game 3, narrowing the Panthers' series lead to 2-1. Andrei Vasilevskiy delivered a standout performance in goal, rebounding from earlier struggles to stifle Florida's offense, despite the Panthers outshooting Tampa Bay. Jake Guentzel played a pivotal role, assisting on the tying goal and scoring early in the third period to give the Lightning breathing room, while Nikita Kucherov and Ryan McDonagh each contributed two assists. Florida initially took the lead with a goal from Matthew Tkachuk, but could not sustain momentum as Tampa Bay capitalized on their opportunities. The series will continue with Game 4 in Sunrise, with the Lightning hoping their stars can maintain this renewed energy. Notably, Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov returned after injury, and Aaron Ekblad played his first game back from suspension.