On a warm and sunny Thursday evening in South Florida, the Florida Panthers battled their in-state rivals in the Tampa Bay Lightning. In what was a full-team effort, the Panthers won handily in 9-3 fashion. With Spencer Knight in goal on a back-to-back for the Panthers, Knight knew he had to shine. Doing just that, Knight allowed only three goals on 42 shots against a very-tough Tampa Bay team.
Recap
On a night where the Panthers got out-shot and were less than 50% in the face-off circle, it certainly was not a losing effort in any way for the Panthers. Heading into a back-to-back after beating the New York Rangers in a late-game thriller, the Panthers looked laser-sharp focused throughout the entire game.
Starting off in the first period, the Panthers scored three straight goals thanks to Anthony Duclair, Jonathon Huberdeau, and Frank Vatrano. The Panthers have scored 35 goals in the first period this season, tied with the Avalanche for the most among all teams.
As the game went on, the Panthers dominated the ice, totaling nine goals. The other goal scorers from the Panthers included Eutu Luostarinen, Maxim Mamin, Anton Lundell, Anthony Duclair (again), Aaron Ekblad, and last but certainly not least, Captain Aleksander Barkov. Jonathan Huberdeau finished the night with five points.
Tampa Bay’s goal scorers were Zach Bogosian, Brayden Point, and Steven Stamkos. The Lightning had to use two goaltenders (Maxime Lagace and Hugo Alnefelt) as both struggled throughout the game.
Florida’s nine-goal performance is the second most the club has scored in a game in franchise history behind a 10-goal contest on Nov. 26, 1997 (vs. BOS). It’s also the most goals Tampa Bay has allowed since 2009.
Up Next
Coming up for the Florida Panthers: On Saturday, January 1st, the Montreal Canadiens will travel down with the snowbirds as they will take on the Panthers. The Canadiens are coming off a big 4-0 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. After that, the Panthers will stay home to play Calgary and then head on the road for two games against Dallas and Carolina.
Coming up for the Tampa Bay Lightning: The Lightning will play one more game against the New York Rangers before 2022 hits (Dec. 31 at 7:00 PM).
A New Years Message: With the spread of COVID-19, we hope everyone continues to stay safe and take the necessary steps to get through this! The Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning are bringing lots of joy to their fans and they look to continue to do so as the season rolls along into 2022.
(Featured image by Sam Navarro/USA TODAY Sports)