The surging Florida Panthers arrived in Tampa Bay looking to shrink the gap between themselves and the final wildcard team, Columbus. In a game that was back and forth throughout, the Tampa Bay Lightning emerged victorious in their sixth straight overtime game by the score of 5-4.
The opening half of the first period had an even pace to it with only a few moments of real action. Both Florida and Tampa Bay kept each other to the outside and limited any shots in the slot. However, shortly after the midway point, Tampa Bay managed to strike first off a fortuitous bounce.