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The Florida Panthers had a dominating 6-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference First Round Tuesday night. Tampa Bay’s home rink advantage did not intimidate the reigning Stanley Cup champions, who outscored the Lightning in every period.
Matthew Tkachuk had no problem making his post-injury debut in the playoffs, earning two goals and an assist for the Panthers. Tkachuk missed the final 25 games of the regular season after sustaining an injury during the 4-Nations Face Off in February.
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The teams were tied 1-1 until the end of the first period, when the Panthers scored four unanswered goals in less than 11 minutes.
Nate Schmidt had two goals, while Sam Bennett and Sam Reinhart each had one goal and one assist. Schmidt and Tkachuk proved to be a dynamic duo, scoring just 14 seconds apart in the second period.
HAVE YOURSELF A GAME, SCHMIDTY pic.twitter.com/1MbWBhfSui
— x – Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) April 23, 2025
Tkachuk’s second goal made him the second player in Panthers history to score two power-play goals in the same period. He joins Reinhart, who was the first to accomplish that last season.
Jake Guentzel and Brayden Point each scored a goal for the Lightning, but they were not enough to overtake the Panthers.
Florida Rivals Face Off History
This is the fourth time in the last five seasons that the Panthers and Lightning have gone head-to-head in the playoffs. Of the last three times, the winner has played in the Stanley Cup Final. The Lightning won in 2020 and 2021, and played in the final in 2022. Meanwhile, the Panthers played in the final in 2023 and won in 2024.
Future of the First Round
Game 2 is scheduled for April 24 at 6:30 p.m. at the Lightning’s Amalie Arena. Following that, the Panthers will return to their home rink to host Game 3 on April 26 and Game 4 on April 28. The winner of Round 1 will play the winner of the Senators-Maple Leafs series in Round 2.
