The Florida Panthers knew this was coming. They knew the challenge ahead. They knew the Tampa Bay Lightning were going to come out firing after Florida beat them by three goals two days earlier.
“They’re probably not happy with the result of the last game,” center Alex Wennberg said Saturday after morning skate before Florida and Tampa Bay faced off for the second of three games in a five-day span. “We’re expecting a push back. It’s up to us to respond to it.”
The Lightning’s push on Saturday came in full force during the second period. The Panthers did not respond.
Tampa Bay battered Sergei Bobrovsky for four goals on 17 shots in the middle period and cruised to a 6-1 win at the BB&T Center as the Panthers closed their six-game homestand on a whimper. Florida (8-2-2) went 3-2-1 during the extended home stay, picking up seven out of a possible 12 points. Tampa Bay improves to 10-2-1 on the season.
After a scoreless first period, Ondrej Palat and Mathieu Joseph scored within 81 seconds of each other early in the second period, Palat on the power play and Joseph on a breakaway after blocking a Wennberg shot at the Florida blue line. Tyler Johnson scored Tampa Bay’s final two goals in the frame. Alexander Volkov and Barclay Goodrow added to the Lightning’s tally in the third period.
Bobrovsky has given up at least six goals in two of his seven starts this season.
Meanwhile, Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy was dominant in net, stopping 33 of 34 shots Florida put up against him. Frank Vatrano broke up Tampa Bay’s shutout bid midway through the third period with a wrist shot from the slot on a feed from Brett Connolly. Vatrano has scored goals in consecutive games.
