Jake Guentzel and Nick Paul (Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images) [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/f985973d-209c-4d5a-a29f-d8b8d3d1e54a.jpeg] Jake Guentzel and Nick Paul (Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images) After their first two games of the first-round Stanley Cup playoff series against the defending-champion Florida Panthers, the Tampa Bay Lightning were on their heels and on the ropes, having dropped both games at home to the Panthers [http://thn.com/florida]. Could the Panthers' gas tank run out if they advance far in the playoffs? However, in Game 3 Saturday afternoon, the Lightning [http://thn.com/tampabay] punched back, and did so convincingly, beating Florida by a 5-1 score. And the Bolts were able to win their first game of the series thanks to big-time contributions from a first-year Lightning member, as well as a proven Tampa Bay legend. The first-year-Bolts member who thrived Saturday was left winger Jake Guentzel, who posted a goal – his second of the post-season – and two primary assists in the Game 3 win. And the proven Lightning legend was goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy, who stopped 33 of 34 Panthers shots, frustrating Florida at just about every turn. Guentzel now has a pair of goals and four points in the series, while Vasilevskiy has overcome a sub-par Game 1 performance – where he allowed six goals on 17 shots – to get increasingly better as the series has gone on, putting up a .955 save percentage in Game 2, and a .971 SP in Game 3. As Saturday’s game unfolded, the Panthers grew especially ornery at their inability to solve Vasilevskiy, lashing out multiple times and giving the Lightning five power plays. Tampa Bay failed to score on any of their man advantages, but the Bolts killed off all four power plays the Panthers had. It was a measure of the Lightning’s determination that, slowly but surely, Tampa Bay grinded down on Florida at equal strength, overcoming the Panthers’ 1-0 lead in the game to battle back with five unanswered goals. The Lightning also got a solid performance on offense from star right winger Nikita Kucherov, who put up three assists in the win. But it was Tampa’s defense that was the biggest factor in Saturday’s win. The Bolts had only 21 shots on Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, but they made them count, particularly in the third period, where Tampa Bay scored three times to put the contest well out of reach. And Florida’s shots on Vasilevskiy were mostly low-quality, allowing Vasilevskiy to methodically square up to most of them and prevent second and third-chance opportunities. Panthers star left winger Matthew Tkachuk did make an impact right away by scoring the first goal of the game – and his third of the playoffs – at the 2:43 mark of the opening frame. But Tkachuk also was undisciplined, taking an unsportsmanlike minor penalty in the second period, then getting penalized for a five-minute interference major penalty on Guentzel at the 15-minute mark of the third period. Tkachuk’s hit on Guentzel, which was extremely late, is almost certainly going to result in supplemental discipline. So, Tkachuk has hurt not only himself, but his team by taking liberties with Guentzel. We’re guessing Tkachuk will be suspended for Game 4 on Monday, and Tkachuk has no one but himself to blame for it. In any case, the Lightning have now cut the Panthers’ series lead in half, serving notice that they’re not going to roll over simply because Florida won the first two games. From our vantage point, we believe Tampa Bay is likely to extend the series to at least six games. And you can bet the other teams still active in the Eastern Conference playoffs – we’re looking at you, Toronto Maple Leafs [http://thn.com/toronto] – are elated to see the Lightning and Panthers beating up on each other. Because the longer this series goes, the harder it will be for Florida or Tampa Bay when they eventually take on their second-round opponents. That said, right now, the second round seems very far away for the Lightning and Panthers. Florida had the chance to take a commanding 3-0 series lead over Tampa Bay with a victory Saturday, but the Bolts battled back – and now, the heavyweight bout between two recent Stanley Cup champs looks like it’s going to be increasingly brutal with every game that takes place. The Lightning aren’t going to go into the off-season without a fight, and the Panthers now understand their challenge against the Bolts is not going to be a cakewalk. Tampa has pushed back against Florida, and all of us who foresaw a long first-round series for the two teams are feeling good about that prediction. Get the latest news and trending stories by following The Hockey News on Google News [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw?hl=en-CA&gl=CA&ceid=CA%3Aen] and by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I]. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com.
