The Florida Panthers got off to a strong start but the Lightning matched that intensity from the get-go. Florida managed to draw the game’s first penalty as Mathieu Joseph took a seat for high-sticking.
The Bolts’ PK unit did a good job keeping the Panthers’ shooters to the outside, limiting their open looks and chances altogether. The Cats found it hard to set up and could barely string a pass together given the intensity that the Lightning PKers had.
Not long after Joseph’s penalty and the Lightning struck first through Steven Stamkos – who appeared to trip Mike Matheson in a battle for the puck, followed by skating around an aggressive Sergei Bobrovsky and slotting the puck home into the empty cage.