The Florida Panthers are moving onto the next round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs after defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning in five games.
In a decisive Game 5, the Panthers flexed their offensive muscles in a 6-1 victory. After a scoreless opening period, star forwards Aleksander Barkov and Carter Verhaeghe scored goals to get the Panthers on the board. Both Barkov and Verhaeghe registered two goals and an assist in the win.
Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, who was named as a finalist for the Vezina Trophy on Monday, stopped 31 of the 32 shots that he faced in net. Despite having a seven-point series, Florida was able to keep regular-season points leader Nikita Kucherov from scoring a goal across the five games.
The Panthers will now face off against the winner of the opening-round series between the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs.
(1) Florida Panthers vs. (WC1) Tampa Bay Lightning
Game 1: | Panthers 3, Lightning 2 | Recap
Game 2: | Panthers 3, Lightning 2 (OT) | Recap
Game 3: | Panthers 5, Lightning 3 | Recap
Game 4: | Lightning 6, Panthers 3 | Recap
Game 5: | Panthers 6, Lightning 1 | Recap
