Tempers flared again in the latest edition of the Battle of Florida. Ultimately, the Tampa Bay Lightning found themselves on the winning end of the game in Sunrise, Fla., beating the Florida Panthers, 4-2.
Nikita Kucherov and Anthony Cirelli put up multi-point nights, which normally would be the highlight. Instead, it was all in the middle of the duels that ensued throughout the night. By the end of the game, there were 45 penalties levied between both teams, according to NHL.com’s tally.
Lightning Fight Their Way to a Win
Before either team had scored, five penalties had been assessed. Yanni Gourde and Sam Bennett went at each other, while Zemgus Girgensons received a cross-checking penalty at the same time. The Panthers shortly after opened scoring with a goal by Eetu Luostarinen on a backhand shot past Andrei Vasilevskiy.
The Lightning put up two goals in the first period to take the lead, which they would never relinquish. Jake Guentzel scored a shorthanded goal to tie it, and then Pontus Holmberg put the Lightning ahead. However, it took clawing tooth and nail to hang onto this lead.
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Kucherov made it a 3-1 game in the opening minutes of the second period, but Brad Marchand made it a one-goal game again not too long after on a power-play goal. As the second period came to a close, intensity reached its peak. Guentzel took a shot at AJ Greer in the left corner of the Panthers’ zone, and soon, everyone was picking a partner. Some were in trios.
This single scrum saw 13 penalties assessed. Four players, two from each side, received a pair of penalties each.
Scrums continued all the way to the end, even with less than a minute left in the game. To get an even greater idea of how bad it got, the Lightning posted a photo of the six players they had in the box at once in the third period.
Despite this chaos, there was still a game to win. Kucherov picked up another goal for himself within that final minute to put the game away and reach the final score.
Vasilevskiy stopped 24 of the 26 shots he saw on net. Sergei Bobrovskiy saved 21 of 24.
The Lightning will turn around and head home for a game against the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday. Puck drop is set for 5 p.m. Meanwhile, the Panthers will host the Washington Capitals on Monday. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.
