Stamkos Hits 100th Playoff Point as Tampa Bay Lightning Secure 6-3 Victory Against Florida Panthers to Avoid Elimination

Saturday, April 27th, 2024

Steven Stamkos netted two goals to make his total in the series five, helping the Tampa Bay Lightning to stave off elimination by defeating the Florida Panthers with a score of 6-3 in the fourth game of their initial playoff round.

In a match that saw Tampa Bay take a decisive lead early on, Stamkos was the first to score, contributing to a three-goal burst in the opening period. His crucial goal late in the game at 9:34 during the third period extended Tampa Bay's lead to 5-3. Nicholas Paul later cemented the victory for his team with a goal during a 5-on-3 power play situation.

The Lightning's triumph also saw notable performances from Brandon Hagel, who scored twice and assisted once, and Brayden Point, who added a goal and two assists to his playoff tally. In goal, Andrei Vasilevskiy blocked 22 shots, while Nikita Kucherov and Victor Hedman were instrumental with three assists each.

Adding to the news of the match, Mikhail Sergachev returned from leg surgery to contribute with an assist for the Lightning. On the opposing side, goals came from Carter Verhaeghe, Sam Reinhart, and Oliver Ekman-Larsson, as Sergei Bobrovsky made 26 saves for Florida.

Facing challenging odds, Tampa Bay remains in the fight, as history shows only four NHL teams have managed to overturn a 3-0 series deficit to claim victory. The teams are set to clash again in Game 5, this time on Florida's turf, Monday night.

Stamkos's recent scoring spree has elevated him to the status of the third player in Tampa Bay's history to achieve 100 points in the postseason, surpassing Ondrej Palat to take second place in the franchise's playoff goal-scoring records with a total of 50 goals

Tampa Bay Lightning vs Florida Panthers Game Stats

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