Apr 24, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning left wing Nick Paul (20) controls the puck in front of Florida Panthers defenseman Nate Schmidt (88) during the third period in game two of the first round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amalie Arena. (Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images) [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/1de6f83d-99ac-441f-9bc1-669fa8c7e72f.jpeg] Apr 24, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning left wing Nick Paul (20) controls the puck in front of Florida Panthers defenseman Nate Schmidt (88) during the third period in game two of the first round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amalie Arena. (Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images) The Florida Panthers will be a happy bunch when they take the short flight home to Fort Lauderdale. They hold a 2-0 series lead over the Tampa Bay Lightning after picking up wins in both games in Tampa. Thursday night, it was Sergei Bobrovsky earning the 19-save shutout as Florida clamped down and won 2-0 in Game 2 at Amalie Arena, sending a stunned group of Lightning fans out of the building, unsure if they’ll get to attend another home game this season. One factor that could greatly contribute to that possibility is the status of Panthers Captain Sasha Barkov. He left the game during the third period after taking a high hit from Brandon Hagel that garnered a five-minute major for interference. Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice had no update on Barkov after the game. Let’s get to the Game 2 takeaways: PK COMES UP BIG An area that has been a major contributor to Florida’s playoff success over the past couple seasons has been their penalty kill. Panthers General Manager Bill Zito has made the PK a high priority, making sure the Cats’ roster is stocked full of high-end penalty killers. Entering the series with Tampa, the Panthers knew they were going to have their hands full. Tampa Bay had the league’s fifth-best power play during the regular season. On Thursday, it was Florida’s penalty kill that came up big, holding the Lighting to a donut, an 0-for-5 night while up a man. “Our penalty killing on back-to-back nights been just outstanding, especially tonight, I thought our penalty kill was just fantastic. That's a big part of our identity,” said Maurice. “Again, you give credit to Bill Zito and his group. We went into the trade deadline feeling that that was the place that we needed to get better again, we lost some important killers from our team last year, and he delivered.” PROTECT THE HOUSE One phase in particular that Florida excelled was limited Tampa Bay’s opportunities in high danger areas. It’s impossible to stop the talent-filled Lightning from stringing some silky passes together in the offensive zone, but time and time, the Panthers either found ways to get sticks in the passing lanes or a skate, shin pad or backside on a shot before it reached the goaltender. While Sergei Bobrovsky is the one who gets credit for the shutout on the stat sheet, this one belongs as much to his defenders as it does to the goaltender himself (and he’d be the first to tell you that). Thursday’s win showcased Florida’s ability to bear down and win a playoff game by taking away what a team does best. “The shot attempts were heavily in their favor, but that would be the piece in the game that I thought was pretty good,” Maurice said. “I thought we were strong in about a 10 or 15-foot area around our net, and that was the difference for us.” GET READY FOR TAMPA’S BEST Make no mistake, this Tampa Bay team is very good, and they are extremely well coached. Lightning Head Coach Jon Cooper is going to have his squad ready to play their best game on Saturday afternoon, because going down 3-0 in a series is *ahem very hard to come back from. As Panthers fans know extremely well, a team is going to fight their absolute hardest when their backs are against the wall. “I think the intensity is going to ramp up, I think the physicality will definitely ramp up, and you saw, I think, the first period of last game, and actually the first part of this game, you started to see more end zone play,” said Maurice. “We had a little more zone time, they had a little more zone time. It wasn't ping-ponging back and forth, which is still where a big chunk of this game has been, just both teams are pretty responsible defensively. So I think that's where it's going.” LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA Bobrovsky brilliant, Barkov injured as Panthers shutout Tampa to take 2-0 series lead [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/bobrovsky-brilliant-barkov-injured-as-panthers-shutout-tampa-to-take-2-0-series-lead] Panthers look to be better in Game 2, leave Tampa with commanding series lead [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/game-day/panthers-look-to-be-better-in-game-2-leave-tampa-with-commanding-series-lead] Matthew Tkachuk 'super grateful' following impactful return to Panthers lineup [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/players/matthew-tkachuk-super-grateful-following-impactful-return-to-panthers-lineup] Three takeaways: Panthers defeat Tampa Bay in odd Game 1 that lacked physicality, even strength play [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/three-takeaways-panthers-defeat-tampa-bay-in-odd-game-1-that-lacked-physicality-even-strength-play] Tkachuk scores twice in return, leads Panthers to Game 1 victory over Tampa Bay [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/game-day/tkachuk-scores-twice-in-return-leads-panthers-to-game-1-victory-over-tampa-bay]
