The Tampa Bay Lightning failed to secure home-ice advantage for the upcoming first round of playoffs against the Florida Panthers after a 5-1 loss on Saturday night. The Lightning also got swept for the first time in back-to-back games this season. Despite all of that, Tampa Bay still could clinch home ice with a regulation win in the last game of the regular season against the same opponent on Monday.
The Lightning entered this game with a very unusual lineup as they were missing three regular defencemen: Victor Hedman, Ryan McDonagh, who left the previous game on Friday due to upper body injury, and Jan Rutta, who just returned after missing the whole month.