The Tampa Bay Lightning have dug a very deep hole after their 3-2 OT loss to the Florida Panthers on Tuesday Night.
The Panthers lead the Lightning 2-0 in the series and have a chance to wrap the series up in Tampa should they defeat the Lightning in games three and four.
Another Slow Start For The Lightning
Once again, another slow start doomed the Lightning as the Panthers outshot the Bolts 13-3 in the first period, taking a quick 2-0 lead.
In the second period, both goaltenders put on a clinic and made some unbelievable saves. Both Sergei Bobrovsky and Andrei Vasilevskiy were outstanding, with Bobrosvsky having the save of the year on his acrobatic save on a Matt Dumba shot.
The Lightning finally started to find their game in the second period as Braydon Point scored at the forty-eight-second mark to cut the deficit to 2-1. A Steven Stamkos PP goal followed that, his second of the playoffs, to tie the game at two.
In the third period, both teams settled into more of a defensive mindset, as neither wanted to take unnecessary chances.
In the OT, it didn’t take long for the Panthers to strike as Carter Verhaeghe lit the lamp at 2:59 to give them the 3-2 win and a 2-0 series lead.
One of the keys to this series is the play Five on Five for the Lightning. For whatever reason, the Lightning has struggled all season five on five, and it is noticeable in this series against the Panthers.
The Bolts have the number one power play, and two of their four goals in two games have been PP goals. If the Lightning hopes to win this series, they must be better five-on-five.
The Bolts Must Get Nikita Kucherov Going
Another key to this series we didn’t think we would need to address is the play of Nikita Kucherov. Kucherov has looked off in these first two games, and unless he gets going, the Lightning have no chance in this series.
There is a lot of fight left on this team. They are coming home for the next two games, where the Bolts will have the final line change, which should play to their advantage.
My gut feeling tells me this series is over. Even though the Panthers will miss Sam Bennett for the rest of the series with a fractured hand, it will be a tall order for the Lightning to beat the Panthers in four out of five games, based on what we have seen so far from the Lightning.
I think the Lightning will win game three, but I must remind everyone that the Panthers won their two regular-season games against the Bolts in Tampa, including a 9-2 blowout win in February.
Game Three is on Thursday at 7 PM at Amalie Arena.