Lightning playoff extra: Physicality trumps finesse in Game 1
A collection of stars, stats and sound bites from Florida’s 3-2 win against the Lightning in the teams’ playoff opener Sunday.
3 Panthers stars
The Panthers veteran, who became the franchise’s second 50-goal scorer in the regular season, scored on a redirected shot for his team’s first goal to highlight a well-rounded effort. Reinhart also won four of five faceoffs and blocked three shots.
Arguably the Panthers’ MVP Sunday, Barkov had two assists, including the crisp pass to the net that Carter Verhaeghe tipped in for the go-ahead goal, while adding four hits and a team-best three takeaways.
Carter Verhaeghe
A Tampa Bay salary-cap casualty in a previous life, Verhaeghe scored the go-ahead goal 58 seconds into the third on a power play, when he made a textbook cut to the net and redirected Barkov’s pass from the right circle. “I didn’t even see the pass, it just hit my stick,” he said. “That’s how well (Barkov) can pass the puck.”
3 Lightning stars
Though a culprit in Verhaeghe’s decisive power-play goal in the final period, the Lightning’s recently acquired defenseman counterpunched at will against a Panthers club bent on setting a physical tone. Dumba’s 10 hits led all players.
Considering how the Panthers peppered shots at him, especially at the outset, Vasilevskiy was mostly solid (25 saves on 27 shots). The only even-strength goal he allowed came via a deflection.
On an offensively challenging day, Stamkos mustered three shots while registering three hits and an assist, and gave his team a last-gasp chance with a power-play goal from a wicked angle with 9.3 seconds remaining.
Liner notes
On a day when Tampa Bay managed only 19 shots on goal, the Anthony Cirelli-Brandon Hagel-Stamkos line seemed to deliver the steadiest offensive pressure of any Tampa Bay line. Hagel scored his team’s lone even-strength goal on a rebound of a Cirelli shot late in the first period.
“I think we can get a few more pucks (to the net), a few more bodies there, and maybe give ourselves a few more looks,” Hagel said.
By the numbers
4:05: Time remaining in first period when the Lightning recorded their first shot on goal (a Mikey Eyssimont wrist shot)
8: Shots on goal by the Panthers before Tampa Bay recorded its first one
109: Total hits in Sunday’s game
5-5: Jon Cooper’s record in playoff openers as Lightning coach. Tampa Bay had won five of its last seven playoff openers entering Sunday.
1-6: Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky’s record in seven career postseason starts against the Lightning while with the Panthers (he did have one overtime win in relief).
Positive Panthers omen?
Teams that take a 1-0 lead in a best-of-seven playoff round own an all-time series record of 515-242 (.680), including 355-119 (.749) when starting at home.
They said it
“Have you seen us play in the playoffs for the last decade? These boys have weathered all the frustration they possibly can, and we’ve seen it every different way. Florida is an exceptional team. They’ve done it to teams all year, and they’re going to do it to us for the rest of the playoffs. So it’s our job to fight through it.” — Cooper, when asked if his players got frustrated due to the game being so tight
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