Panthers primed for sweep, changing of the guard in Florida hockey, CBS News Miami's Steve Goldstein
SUNRISE - No pun intended, but the Florida Panthers have bolted out to a 3-0 lead in their first round playoff series against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Through three games the Panthers have only trailed for 7 minutes and 2 seconds, and their penalty kill against the potent Tampa power play has fueled the success. In the short spurts where the Lightning get their game going and put the pressure on, the Panthers' experience and calmness show. They withstand those pushes and bounce right back and get to their game.
On Saturday, at 5 p.m., the Panthers will try to win their first-ever series against Tampa and send the Lightning home in a first-round sweep.
Defense Shines
The Panthers have been on point defensively. They have shut down Tampa's stars and in particular frustrating Nikita Kucherov, who led the league in scoring in the regular season with 144 points. On the rare occasion, the Panthers allow an odd man rush, and when Tampa has had its quality scoring chances, goalie Sergei Bobrovsky has been there to make the timely, big saves.
Playoff Tkachuk Is Back
Matthew Tkachuk continues to set the tone for his team. He has three goals in the series scoring twice in Game 3 in Tampa. Tkachuk opened the scoring and ended it with an empty net goal. His linemate Carter Verhaeghe has matched Tkachuk with a team leading five points. Another example of the Panthers flat out being a better, deeper team than Tampa Bay.
Lorentz Winner
The Panthers learned a lesson in last year's Stanley Cup final loss to Las Vegas. The Golden Knights were a deeper team and had more size. General manager Bill Zito, who should be the GM of the Year, went out and addressed what was needed. Now the Panthers have more depth and size. The depth factor was exemplified when Stephen Lorentz stepped into the lineup in Game 2 and then moved over to center in Game 3 due to Sam Bennett's injury. Lorentz scored his first career playoff goal and it was the game winner. He also had his first career playoff multi-point game.
Kyle Okposo was a trade deadline acquisition. The veteran played his first playoff game in 8 years and picked up an assist on the game-winning goal. Okposo also screened Tampa goalie Andrei Vasilevsky on Brandon Montour's goal to give the Panthers the lead for good. The Panthers' roster is complete and is equipped for a deep playoff run.
Brooms Out
The Panthers go for their second series sweep in their last three playoff series in Game 4. They won the Eastern Conference Championship last year by winning four straight against the Carolina Hurricanes. Tampa Bay has players who have won championships and have a lot of pride, so it won't be easy to eliminate them. But this Panthers team is confident and looks like it's on a mission to take the state's hockey supremacy with an exclamation point.
