The Florida Panthers had a statement win on Tuesday night, defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-1. Rookies Spencer Knight and Anton Lundell propelled Florida to 3-0 on the season.
First Period:
The first period of the Battle of Florida started out very slow, with the game remaining scoreless through the first period. Both goaltenders played well, with both teams getting chances early. At 15:10, Joe Thornton would draw a slashing penalty on Tampa Bay’s Boris Katchouk, and 26 seconds later, Tampa would go 5-on-3 after Florida rookie forward Anton Lundell drew a holding penalty on Ondrej Palat. Florida would hold Tampa Bay to no goals, despite being down two men. Florida’s penalty kill played exceptionally well, which was something that they were not able to do last year against the Lightning.
Second Period:
Florida would break the ice at 6:12 in the second period on a power play goal. As Florida’s time was waning with a man advantage, Sam Reinhart would set up his former Sabres teammate Brandon Montour, who would whip a wrist shot past Andrei Vasilevskiy. Reinhart and rookie Anton Lundell would be rewarded with the assist. It was Lundell’s first career point.
Third Period:
Tampa would tie the game right out of the gate at 2:36, when Victor Hedman found Brayden Point open, who then slapped the puck past Spencer Knight. 61 seconds later, Florida would score the game-winner in a scramble at the net, when Aleksander Barkov would find an open lane to make it 2-1. Anton Lundell would score his first NHL goal Tuesday night when Sam Reinhart set him up to make it 3-1. Anthony Duclair would then add an empty net goal at the end of the game to make the final 4-1.
Young Guns for the Panthers:
A big part of Florida’s win Tuesday night was Florida’s outstanding rookies. Goalie Spencer Knight stopped 30 of 31 shots, recording his first win of the season. Knight, as of now, is still undefeated in the regular season in his career. The 20-year-old became the 11th goaltender in NHL history to win at least each of his first five regular season games to start his career.
Meanwhile, Anton Lundell, 20, recorded his first NHL point and goal.
Next Up
The Panthers will travel back to Sunrise to host Nathan MacKinnon and the Colorado Avalanche Thursday night. Meanwhile, the Lightning will get some much-needed rest. Then, the Bolts will host Colorado on Saturday.