(1A) Panthers at (1WC) Lightning
Eastern Conference First Round, Game 4
Saturday, 5 p.m. ET; MAX, truTV, TBS, BSSUN, BSFL, SNP, SNW, SNE, TVAS
Florida leads best-of-7 series 3-0
TAMPA -- The Florida Panthers can sweep the Eastern Conference First Round in Game 4 on Saturday, and at the same time, defeat the Tampa Bay Lightning in a postseason series for the first time.
The Panthers were swept by Tampa Bay in the second round in 2022 and lost in six games in the first round in 2021.
If the Panthers win Game 4, it would be the second series sweep in their 30-year history and second in their past three series; they swept the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final last season.
The Lightning have been swept in a best-of-7 series twice in their history, each time in the first round, to the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2019 and to the Montreal Canadiens in 2014.
"Just got to take it one game at a time, one period at a time," Lightning forward Anthony Duclair said. "Just everyone collectively believing in each other and believing we can come out of this. Take it five minutes at a time and go from there. I think we've had a lot of stretches where we've shown that we can play some good hockey and that's got to be for a full sixty."
Only four teams in the history of the NHL have won a best-of-7 series after losing the first three games. The 2014 Los Angeles Kings are the last team to do it, in the first round against the San Jose Sharks.
Here are 3 keys for Game 4.
1. Scoring on the power play
The Lightning led the NHL in power-play percentage during the regular season (28.6 percent) but are 2-for-12 in this series, including going 0-for-4 in a 5-3 loss in Game 3. They've had 18:23 of power-play time in this series, second most in the entire Stanley Cup Playoffs (Toronto Maple Leafs, 20:40), but only one power-play goal has come at 5-on-4. The other came with the goalie pulled in a 6-on-4 situation at the end of Game 1.
Each goal has come from Steven Stamkos. Forwards Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point, who combined for 28 power-play goals in the regular season, have been held off the board. The Lighting appeared to score with the man advantage in Game 3, but it was overturned after the Panthers used a coach's challenge for offside.
"I mean, the power play is out there to make a difference and get [pucks] to the net," Lightning forward Nicholas Paul said. "That's what we're going to focus on doing in the next game."
2. Staying in the moment
The Panthers can finish off the series and their in-state rival Saturday, so emotions will be running high. But staying even keel and not looking too far ahead is key to getting the win.
"I don't think the hockey necessarily changes, but your perception of it does," Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. "There's more intensity, there's more on the line. The desire, which is sometimes a dangerous thing for the team that has the three (wins), that's closing out. And then there is also, in this situation, the desperation of the other team.
"But I'm not sure about the hockey itself actually changes, other than those two things than can play into the game."
3. Stamkos needs help
Stamkos is doing all he can to keep the Lightning alive in this series. He has three goals and one assist. The problem? He's the only Lightning player with multiple goals in the series.
In fact, only five players (Stamkos, Point, Brandon Hagel, Paul and Tyler Motte) have scored for Tampa Bay, while Florida has three players with multiple goals (Matthew Tkachuk, three; Sam Reinhart, two; Carter Verhaeghe, two), and have had seven players score a goal, including defenseman Brandon Montour.
Lightning forward Kucherov led the NHL with 144 points this season (44 goals, 100 assists) and was eighth with 306 shots on goal, but has been held to three assists and seven shots on goal in the three games.
"Their counterpunch has been effective where we've had multiple counterpunches and hit a post," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. "They've taken advantage of a breakdown of us. But eventually, if you stick with it enough, that's how you swing that pendulum. It's not a race to three, it's a race to four. So, we're still in it."
Panthers projected lineup
Vladimir Tarasenko -- Aleksander Barkov -- Sam Reinhart
Carter Verhaeghe -- Anton Lundell -- Matthew Tkachuk
Eetu Luostarinen -- Kevin Stenlund -- Evan Rodrigues
Nick Cousins -- Steven Lorentz -- Kyle Okposo
Gustav Forsling -- Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola -- Brandon Montour
Oliver Ekman-Larsson -- Dmitry Kulikov
Sergei Bobrovsky
Anthony Stolarz
Scratched: Tobias Bjornfot, Uvis Balinskis, Josh Mahura, Jonah Gadjovich, Evan Cormier
Injured: Sam Bennett (upper body), Ryan Lomberg (Illness)
Lightning projected lineup
Anthony Duclair -- Brayden Point -- Nikita Kucherov
Brandon Hagel -- Anthony Cirelli -- Steven Stamkos
Michael Eyssimont -- Nicholas Paul -- Mitchell Chaffee
Tyler Motte -- Luke Glendening -- Tanner Jeannot
Victor Hedman -- Darren Raddysh
Matt Dumba -- Erik Cernak
Emil Lilleberg -- Nick Perbix
Andrei Vasilevskiy
Matt Tomkins
Scratched: Austin Watson, Conor Sheary, Calvin de Haan, Max Crozier
Injured: Haydn Fleury (upper body), Jonas Johansson (lower body), Mikhail Sergachev (leg)
Status report
Neither team will hold a morning skate on Saturday … Lomberg, a forward, who hasn't played since Game 1, is feeling better coach Paul Maurice said, but still is unlikely to play. The Lightning held an optional skate Friday, so it isn't known if there could be changes to the lineup.
