RECAP: Panthers 9, Lightning 2

TAMPA – The latest installment of the Battle of Florida was simply a blowout.

Scoring nine straight goals after falling behind 1-0 less than a minute into the game, the Florida Panthers cruised to a 9-2 win over the cross-state rival Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena on Saturday.

“Probably our biggest rivalry in the league is against Tampa,” said Panthers forward Sam Bennett, who posted four points (two goals, two assists) in the win. “Any time we can come into their building and put a game on like that, it definitely feels good.”

Extending their franchise-record road winning streak to 11 games, the Panthers (36-15-4) now lead the Boston Bruins (32-12-11) by one point for first place the Atlantic Division.

Prior to the loss, the Lightning (30-21-5) had won eight straight games at home.

“It was such a strange game," Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said. "For the coach, once it gets to 5-1 or 6-1 it’s just no fun because basically nothing good happens after. But I don’t think we came out of structure. I thought they had a push They’re a proud team. Over 82 [games], you’ll get into one of those every once in a while where it goes in for you. We’ve certainly had a whole lot of nights, especially early, where the puck didn’t go for us. It’s good for the guys to get a chance to have one of those nights.”

Just 24 seconds into the first period, Brandon Hagel opened the scoring for the Lightning when took a cross-ice saucer pass from Anthony Cirelli, skated to the net from the left side of the slot and slipped the the puck through Sergei Bobrovsky’s five-hole to make it 1-0.

After a key faceoff win from Bennett in the offensive zone, the Panthers evened the score when a point shot from Brandon Montour caught a piece of a Lightning player in the slot and fluttered past Andrei Vasilevskiy into the back of the twine to make it 1-1 at 7:01.

Following a great play by Dmitry Kulikov to beat a Lightning player to a loose puck and keep it in the offensive zone at the blue line, the Panthers took the lead when Tkachuk set up Bennett for a one-timer from the center of the right circle to make it 2-1 at 12:28.

At 13:15, Jonah Gadjovich dropped the gloves with Tampa Bay’s Austin Watson.

Keeping their foot on the gas, the Panthers added another goal soon after when Ryan Lomberg chipped a puck off the boards right onto the stick of Kevin Stenlund, who then carried it into the slot and fired a laser of a shot past Vasilevskiy to make it 3-1 at 17:44.

Tacking on one more goal before the first intermission, Gustav Forsling pushed the lead to 4-1 when he fired a puck from along the left half-wall into the cage at 18:38. The Lightning challenged the score citing goaltender interference, but it was upheld after a review.

On their ruling, the NHL Situation Room determined that there was “incidental contact” between Carter Verhaeghe’s stick and Vasilevskiy’s glove outside of the crease.

“Obviously not happy with letting one in early, but we responded well,” Bennett said. “We had all four lines skating and playing hard. It’s just one of those games where things seemed to go right for you.”

Still on the power play after Tampa Bay’s failed challenge, the Panthers continued to pile on when Tkachuk netted a goal to make it 5-1 just 23 seconds into the second period. Just 1:14 later, No. 19 stuck again on the man advantage – this time on a tip-in – to make it 6-1 at 1:37.

Since his famous “I hate Tampa more now” quote during his introductory press conference after being acquired by the Panthers back in July of 2022, Tkachuk has terrorized the team’s primary rival to the tune of 12 points (five goals, seven assists) in six regular-season games.

Looking at an even bigger picture, he also leads the NHL with 37 points since Jan. 1.

“Points-wise, he’s tearing it up right now,” Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov said of Tkachuk’s hot streak. “But I think whether he’s on the scoresheet or not, he’s a key player for us. On the ice, everyone sees what he’s doing. Off the ice, he’s the leader. He does everything right. I’ve said so many good things about him. He’s just incredible.”

Late in the period, Bobrovsky, who certainly had enough goal support, got in on the fun and created a highlight of his own when he denied Nikita Kucherov, the NHL’s points leader, on a breakaway attempt.

Winning his sixth start game, Bobrovsky hasn't allowed more than two goals in any of those starts.

More than once tonight, the droves of Cats fans that made the long drive across Alligator Alley from Sunrise to Tampa filled the arena with noticeably loud “Bob-by! Bob-by!” chants.

“It was special,” said Bobrovsky, who boasts an impressive  27-10-2  record on the season. “It was great to hear that, great to feel that. We had great support.”

At the start of the third period, Jonas Johansson relieved Vasilevskiy in Tampa Bay's net.

Would the Panthers give him time to settle in?

No way.

Just 1:02 into the final frame, Verhaeghe teed up a pass from Bennett and wired home a one-timer from the bottom of the right circle to make it 7-1. Just 51 seconds later, Bennett was rewarded with a goal of his own on the power play to make it 8-1 at 1:56.

At 4:09, Verhaeghe lit the lamp again to make it 9-1 with his 30^th goal of the campaign.

“They’re a good team over there,” Verhaeghe said. “They came out hard and scored the first goal, and then we kind of battled back and got back in it. We played a hard game, a good road game. It was a lot of fun with everyone contributing and getting on the scoresheet.”

Not throwing in the towel, the Lightning managed to get a second goal on the board when Brayden Point tucked in a backhand from in tight on the power play to make it 9-2 at 10:51.

At 13:22, Gadjovich fought again, this time with Tampa Bay's Erik Cernak.

With some expected bad blood boiling over late in regulation, a few feisty altercations occurred over the final minutes that resulted in 12 players – six on each squad – receiving misconducts.

Even with a seven-goal lead, the Panthers maintained their intensity until the final horn.

“It’s all the mindset,” Verhaeghe said. “Whether we’re up 9-2 or down 9-2, we’re going to play the same way. I think you can’t let your foot off the gas any time that happens or else it’s no fun playing the game. We just go out there and play the hardest we can every shift regardless of what the score is, who we’re playing or anything like that.”

THEY SAID IT

“It was a competitive game right to the end. There were guys sticking up for each other. All four lines were playing well. It’s awesome to see everyone contribute.” – Sam Bennett

“Wins like this are pretty rare in this league when you score so many goals. Everyone was having fun out there and playing the right way, playing hard no matter what the score was.” – Aleksander Barkov

“We love playing together. It’s always fun coming on the road and bonding with the guys. I think road games are more simple for us. We know we’re going to get the other team’s best.” – Carter Verhaeghe

“During a game, you don’t really think about the score. You just focus on one moment. I thought it was a solid performance by our guys. A great penalty kill again. Yeah, it was a solid game.” – Sergei Bobrovsky

“[Sam Bennett] can play a lot of different styles, but physical, grinding fast games are built for him. That’s what he’s good at.” – Paul Maurice

CATS STATS

- The Panthers are the sixth team in NHL history to win 11 straight road games.

- Florida’s nine goals are the most in a road game in franchise history.

- Matthew Tkachuk’s two goals in the first 1:37 of the second period marked the fastest two goals scored by a single skater from the start of a period in franchise history.

- Brandon Montour (1G, 2A) recorded his seventh three-point game as a Panther.

- Thirteen different Panthers registered at least one point.

- Gustav Forsling blocked a team-high three shots.

- Ryan Lomberg has produced 20 hits over the last two games.

- Aaron Ekblad (lower body) missed tonight’s game and is considered day-to-day.

WHAT’S NEXT?

After sweeping their three-game road trip, the Cats are coming home.

Their first meeting since a penalty-filled brouhaha back on Nov. 27 in Ottawa, the Panthers will host the Senators for a highly-anticipated rematch at Amerant Bank Arena on Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET.

For tickets, click HERE.