The Florida Panthers were unsuccessful in their attempt on Saturday afternoon to take a 3-0 series stranglehold over the in-state rival Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Lightning defeated the Panthers convincingly, winning 5-1 in the final game at Amerant Bank Arena, halving their two-games-to-none series lead.
Brayden Point, Nick Paul, Jake Guentzel, Luke Glendening, and Anthony Cirelli (empty net) all scored for the Lightning, who avoided falling into a daunting 3-0 series deficit.
Panthers Fans Shrug Off Game 3 Loss to Lightning
Despite the disappointing setback, the majority of Panthers fans on X did not appear concerned about their chances of ultimately emerging victorious in the series.
In a lengthy response, this Panthers fan looked at the long-term picture, saying, “Not even pissed. I saw this one coming. Tampa Bay was too good to get swept and I thought they would come out on fire today in Sunrise. TBH, don’t be shocked when Tampa wins on Monday night. I think Florida is a much better road team and wins Game 5 and 6 to secure the series.”
This fan had a similar outlook, saying, “Get it back Monday boys. Tampa was never gonna go down with a fight. Can’t be Panthers in 5 without a loss.”
Staying in that theme, another fan said, “No need to panic. TB is a good team, let’s take a commanding series lead on Monday.”
Not one to worry, this fan said, “Not a good game but there’s always one. Dust it off and get it back Monday.”
Finally, this fan delivered a shot toward the Lightning with this comment: “Cool. Tampa ownership must be excited for the revenues of one more home game before TB season ends. Series never sees game 7 in Tampa.”
Panthers Coach Paul Maurice Had a Blunt Take On the Game 3 Loss
Never one to sugarcoat a situation, Panthers head coach Paul Maurice called it like he saw it.
“It just went flat for a while,” Maurice said of the loss. “I liked our start at 1-1 straight through to 2-1. Missed connections on a bunch of stuff, not that far off it. … It was just a quiet block of the game, which wouldn’t be prototypical for our game. A couple knucklers on you, and you’re down 3-1 and chasing it a bit.”
The Panthers and Lightning will continue their series in Game 4 at Amerant Bank Arena on Monday at 7 p.m. ET. The Panthers will either take a commanding 3-1 series lead, or the Lightning will have new life with a 2-2 series tie.