5 Takeaways: Lomberg Scores in OT to Lift Panthers to Win in Game 3

It was almost six minutes into overtime and Ryan Lomberg hadn't taken a shift.
Heck, he was the only Panthers skater that hadn't even registered a shot on goal.
But with the puck on his stick and the game -- possibly even the series -- on the line, the hard-nosed forward played the role of hero on Thursday night at Amalie Arena, flying up the ice and beating Andrei Vasilevsky on a breakaway just 5:56 into the extra frame to lift the Panthers to a thrilling 6-5 win over the Lightning in Game 3 of the first-round Central Division playoff matchup.

With the heart-stopping win, Florida cut Tampa Bay's lead to 2-1 in the best-of-seven series.
"Let's go," said Lomberg, who had scored just two goals in his NHL career up until that moment. "I was waiting for that chance. All it takes is one shot, one opportunity. We're on to Game 4."
Making a bit of history in the process, Lomberg's goal was the first overtime winner scored by a Panthers player in the postseason since Mike Hough did it all the way back on May 12, 1996.
"A lot of emotions tonight," Panthers forward Jonathan Huberdeau said. "[Lomberg's] always there on the bench getting the guys going. On the ice, he never takes a shift off. … It's well deserved by him. A huge goal for us. We really needed that win, and he made it happen."
Jumping on the Lightning early, the Panthers opened the scoring tonight when Sam Bennett, who had been forced to miss Game 2 while serving a suspension, tapped a slick cross-ice feed from Huberdeau right past Andrei Vasilevskiy to make it a 1-0 game at 4:31 of the first period.
Netting his first-career NHL playoff goal, Radko Gudas then managed to double the lead soon after when he collected a pass from Gustav Forsling and wired a shot from near the center of the right circle through some traffic and into the back of the net to suddenly make it 2-0 at 7:05. But in the second period, the defending Stanley Cup champions struck back.
Not long after Anthony Cirelli halved Tampa Bay's deficit to 2-1 at 1:57, Ross Colton picked a corner to make it 2-2 at 5:46. At 8:38, Steven Stamkos then gave the Lightning their first lead of the game when he redirected a centering pass from the slot into the cage to make it 3-2 at 8:38.
Briefly stopping the bleeding, Alex Wennberg then pulled the Panthers even when he ripped a shot past Vasilevskiy, who was blinded by a screen from Owen Tippett, to make it 3-3 at 12:34.
Yet less than two minutes later, the Lightning went back on top when Bradyen Point scored on the power play to make it 4-3 at 14:17. Back on another man advantage, Alex Killorn then swept home a loose puck to make it 5-3 at 18:17 and finish off a tough five-goal period for Tampa Bay.
Down but not out, the Panthers huddled up in the locker room during the second intermission.
"It was frustrating," Huberdeau said. "We were in a good spot after the first period, up 2-0, and then we do that in the second period. We've just got to be smarter with our decisions and play our game. We had to assess that after the second and not panic, but you don't want to go down in the third period. The guys answered, heard the bell in the third period and worked hard."
Providing a much-needed spark in the third period, Patric Hornqvist, who certainly knows what it takes to win in the postseason, then brought the Panthers back within just one goal when a shot from Huberdeau bounced off his skate and through Vasilevskiy to make it a 5-4 contest at 1:45.
Keeping fans on the edge of their seats, the clock then ticked all the way down to 3:07 before Forsling received a pass from Wennberg, skated into the high slot and rifled a heavy shot past Vasilevskiy for a clutch goal to get things tied up at 5-5 and eventually get the game to overtime, where Lomberg would go on to pen a new Panthers legend with his game-winning goal at 5:56.
After the goal, the cheers in Sunrise could probably be heard across the state in Tampa.
"A great shot by Lombo," Panthers coach Joel Quenneville said of the goal, which was just the third overtime winner in franchise history. "A lot of times in overtime, the guys that are least expected to score come up large. The enthusiasm after that was as high as I've ever seen."
Not to be lost in the shuffle, Sergei Bobrovsky, who replaced Driedger in Florida's net to start the third period, was one of Florida's unsung heroes in the win. Playing out the final 25:26, the two-time Vezina Trophy winner stopped all nine shots he faced, including three in overtime.
With a chance to split the series, the Panthers will battle the Lightning in Game 4 on Saturday.
"I'm really proud of the guys," said Bobrovsky, who Quenneville hinted will be between the pipes again next game. "We were down 5-3 after that second period, but we got the W. It's a big win for us, but it's only one game. You enjoy it tonight and then get ready for the next one."
Here are five takeaways from Thursday's overtime win in Tampa Bay…

1. BENNETT'S BACK

Welcome back, Bennett!
Back in in the lineup after missing Game 2 while serving a suspension for charging Lightning forward Blake Coleman, the mustachioed forward broke the ice tonight when he finished off a great cross-ice feed from Huberdeau to put the Panthers on top 1-0 at 4:31 of the first period.

Always bringing his A-game under the bright lights of the postseason, Bennett has now tallied three points (one goal, two assists) in two games this series. Still in the early stages of his bright career, the 24-year-old has already posted 22 points (12 goals, 10 assists) in 32 playoff games.
Dating back to the regular season, Bennett has recorded at least one point in 11 of 12 games since being acquired by the Panthers from the Flames at last month's trade deadline. In that span, he's notched 18 points (seven goals, 11 assists) while also dishing out plenty of hits.

2. GUDAS GETS IT DONE

While he's known primarily as a butcher, Gudas also apparently moonlights as a sniper.
Skating in his 23rd playoff game, the grizzled defenseman found the back of the net for the first time in the postseason tonight when he beat Vasilevskiy with a quick wrist shot through traffic from the center of the right circle to extend Florida's early lead to 2-0 at 7:05 of the first period.

Of course, goals are often just a bonus for Gudas. Easily one of the most physical, in-your-face defenders in hockey, the 30-year-old led the NHL with 250 hits during the regular season, and through just the first three games of this series with the Lightning he's already dished out 24.
Also chipping in an assist tonight, it was Gudas' lob pass that sent Frank Vatrano and Lomberg up ice in overtime for the breakaway that would eventually result in the epic game-winning goal.

3. WENNBERG HAS POWER

The Wennaissance has carried over into the playoffs.
After netting a career-high 17 goals during the regular season, the 26-year-old forward picked up his first goal of the postseason when he wired home a shot past a screened Vasilevskiy from around the top of the right circle on the power play to make it 3-3 at 12:34 of the second period.

Adding an assist on Forsling's game-tying goal in the third period, Wennberg finished the game with two points. Fresh off a nice showing in the postseason with the Blue Jackets in 2020, he's now produced seven points (four goals, three assists) over his last 13 games in the playoffs.
When Wennberg was on the ice tonight at 5-on-5, Florida led 17-11 in shot attempts.

4. THIRD PERIOD COMEBACK

When asked about the team's turnaround in the third period, Huberdeau said it was several of the team's leaders that spoke up during the second intermission that inspired the comeback.
It was also one of those leaders that got the ball rolling.
Digging in around the crease on the man advantage, Hornqvist, one of the team's four alternate captains, earned his first goal of the playoffs when a shot from Huberdeau took a bounce off of his skate and got past Vasilevsky to trim Florida's deficit down to 5-4 at 14:45 of the third period.
A two-time Stanley Cup champion, it was Hornqvist's 26th career goal in the postseason.

From a player with nearly 100 playoff games under his belt to another suiting up in just his third, Forsling then capped off the incredible comeback when he collected a pass from Wennberg at the point, skated into the high slot and ripped a shot past Vasilevsky to make it 5-5 at 16:53.
During the regular season, the Lighting were 28-0-0 when leading after two periods.

"We had amazing stretches in this game and this series as well with nothing to show for it," Quenneville said. "We were down two goals, and we had a good press there. I thought the guys still had a lot of enthusiasm. I couldn't have been more proud about the way we competed."

5. FIRE UP THE LOMBORGHINI

Following that wild third period, the table was set up for some heroics in overtime.
Enter Lomberg.
After Gudas received the puck deep in the defensive zone after a faceoff win from Noel Acciari, he then lobbed the puck into the neutral zone. Getting just a piece of it, Vatrano then tapped the rubber up to Lomberg, who skated in all alone before beating Vasilevskiy to lock in the 6-5 win.
"I don't remember too much, honestly," Lomberg, clearly on cloud nine, said of the goal.

Paving he way for Lomberg's magic moment, the Panthers likely would've never even been a position to win if it wasn't for their penalty kill. Starting overtime down a man after a penalty late in the third period, the team successfully killed off Tampa Bay's power play, which had already potted two goals. Feeding off that momentum, it felt like the Cats were destined to win after that.
Given new life in their series, Lomberg's goal feels like a turning point for the Panthers after they came up just short during their first two meetings with the Lightning at BB&T Center in Sunrise.
"Our mindset was that we're going to kill this penalty and then win this game," Huberdeau said. "The PK came out really good. We didn't give up anything on their power play, which was good. After that we just took over, got a break at the blue line, and it was a good goal by Lomby."
Never afraid to scratch up his paint job, Lomberg, better known as "Lomborghini" around the locker room, also led all Panthers forwards with seven hits against the Lightning tonight.