Stamkos and Garon lift Bolts past Panthers

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- Steven Stamkos had two goals and an assist, Mathieu Garon made 24 saves and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Florida Panthers 5-1 on Saturday night. Martin St. Louis, Tom Pyatt and Ryan Malone also scored for the Lightning, who were coming off a 2-1 overtime victory at Florida on Friday night. Garon stopped four shots by former Lightning left wing Sean Bergenheim during the opening period. The goalie turned aside 23 shots in Friday's victory over the Panthers. Tampa Bay took control during the second when goals by Pyatt, Stamkos and Malone made it 4-0. Stamkos got his second of the game and 14th of the season in the final minute of play. The Southeast Division-leading Panthers, who went 0 for 6 on the power play, got a late third-period goal from Shawn Matthias. Florida had won three in a row before the consecutive losses to Tampa Bay. Matthias ruined Garon's bid for his second shutout this season and 21st overall with his goal with 2:17 to go in the game. Pyatt gave Tampa Bay a two-goal lead at 3:49 of the second when he made a nifty move at the blue line to get by Florida defenseman Erik Gudbranson and then beat goalie Jacob Markstrom on a back-hander. The goal stopped Pyatt's personal 21-game goal drought, dating to March 20 against Minnesota. After Stamkos scored at 6:02, the Lightning took a 4-0 lead on Malone's rebound goal with 9:25 left in the period. Stamkos has 12 goals and 10 assists in 22 games against Florida. St. Louis put the Lightning up 1-0 from in close 2:07 into the first. It was his 300th goal with Tampa Bay. St. Louis has 304 goals overall, including four with Calgary from 1998-2000. NOTES: Florida RW Tomas Kopecky, who missed Friday night's game because of back spasms, was back in the lineup. ... Tampa Bay RW Steve Downie sat out his second straight game due to an undisclosed upper body injury. ... Toronto director of player personnel Rick Dudley, who was the Lightning GM when St. Louis was signed as free agent by Tampa Bay July 31, 2000, was at the game.