Florida Panthers beat in state rival Tampa Bay Lightning

Crowd going crazy after Aaron Ekblad scored the winning goal. 

The Florida Panthers upset their in state rivals, the Tampa Bay Lightning, with a lucky goal by Aaron Ekblad with only 20 seconds left in the game to secure a 1-0 victory. Ekblad’s shot bounced off the skate of defensemen Victor Hedman and over the shoulder of goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy into the net.

Ekblad says he knew his shot was lucky and is proud it resulted in a victory. 

After outplaying the Panthers for 59-and-a-half minutes, the Lightning felt the end result does not truly reflect how the team played.

Lightning coach Jon Cooper announced before the game that starters Tyler Johnson, Jonathan Drouin, and Cedric Paquette would not play due to various illnesses.

The loss by the Lightning to the Panthers was their second of the season and their fourth loss overall.

Lightning center and team captain Steven Stamkos says the team is not living up to expectations. 

Both teams play at home again on Thursday; the Lightning host the New York Rangers while the Panthers host Anaheim.