Yanni Gourde (© Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images)The Tampa Bay Lightning got their first-round series against the Florida Panthers started on April 22, and it could not have gone much worse for them. The Lightning fell to the Panthers by a 6-2 final score and now trail the series 1-0 because of it.
It was an all-around tough game for the Lightning. They struggled defensively, and goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy had a shaky night, allowing six goals on just 16 shots.
This was certainly not the way the Lightning wanted to start their series against the reigning Stanley Cup champions. Now, they desperately need a bounce-back performance in Game 2, or they will go down 2-0 in the series. This would put the Bolts in a bad position, as the Panthers will have home-ice advantage for Games 3 and 4. Thus, the Lightning need a win big time in Game 2.
If the Lightning can pick up a win in Game 2, it would undoubtedly make things less stressful for them. Going down 2-0 in the series would be a big challenge for the Lightning to overcome, so we will need to wait and see if they can avoid that from occurring from here.
Game 2 between the Lightning and Panthers will take place on April 24 at Amalie Arena. It will be interesting to see if the Lightning can get a much-needed win.
Recent Lightning News
