The Tampa Bay Lightning once again have their backs against the wall against the Florida Panthers in an opening round Stanley Cup Playoffs series.
The Panthers defeated the Lightning by a 2-0 score at Amalie Arena on Thursday night, taking a 2-0 stranglehold in the series as it shifts to Sunrise and Amerant Bank Arena.
This is the second consecutive campaign that the Panthers have a two-game series lead over the Lightning in the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs; last season, they ultimately defeated Tampa in five games, and are in good position to do so again this season.
The Panthers Now Lead the Lightning 2-0 in Their First Round Series
Following their convincing 6-2 victory over the Lightning in Game 1 earlier this week, the Panthers hoped to continue their momentum in the second game of the series.
They got off to an ideal start, as defenseman Nate Schmidt scored his third goal in two games; he fired a shot from the point that beat goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy, who seemed completely bewildered that a seemingly harmless shot from distance got past him.
Neither team could score for the remainder of the game until, with moments left in regulation, Sam Bennett scored into the vacated net with Vasilevskiy on the bench.
The Lightning proved unable to secure the equalizer earlier in the game and were pressed by the Panthers. They now face the daunting task of having to win four of their next five games to avoid elimination.
3 Lightning Players Who Missed the Mark in Game 2 Shutout Loss to Panthers
Jake Guentzel
While Jake Guentzel picked up a goal in the opening game against the Panthers after what was a fantastic regular season in which he scored 41 times, he was completely absent from making any kind of an impact for the Lightning in the all-important Game 2.
Not only did he finish scoreless, but he also finished tied for a team-worst -2 rating. His case also wasn’t helped after he was assessed two different penalties during the contest.
Andrei Vasilevskiy
The Lightning goaltender may have only surrendered a single tally against the Panthers in Game 2, but it proved to be the game-winner by Nate Schmidt.
Additionally, it was an extremely stoppable shot from distance that wasn’t screened. Vasilevskiy was extremely subpar in Game 1 with six goals allowed; while his performance improved in Game 2, the one goal he allowed was a backbreaker.
Look for Vasilevskiy to give it his all in Game 3 to help his club avoid a near insurmountable 3-0 deficit.
Brandon Hagel
Not only did Hagel fail to make an impact on the scoresheet, but he was also guilty of an extremely careless play in the third period that injured Florida forward Aleksander Barkov.
The late hit on Barkov was also dangerous. The Panthers’ leader hit his head on the ice and was forced to leave the game after being unable to continue.
Whether or not Hagel faces disciplinary action from the National Hockey League Department of Player Safety remains to be seen.