Lightning go up 3-0 in series against Panthers after Game 3 win
The Tampa Bay Lightning are a game away from sweeping the Florida Panthers after a 5-1 win in Game 3 on Sunday.
Corey Perry set the tone early with his fifth goal of the playoffs to give the Lightning a 1-0 lead.
While the Panthers' Sam Reinhart tied the game later in the first period, it was the only time Florida managed to slip a puck past Andrei Vasilevskiy. The Lightning pulled away with goals from Erik Cernak and Steven Stamkos in the second period.
The final two goals for Tampa Bay from Nikita Kucherov and Stamkos came against an empty-net in the final minutes of the third period.
The Lightning are trying to win a third consecutive Stanley Cup and have held Florida to just one goal in each of the first three games of the series. The Panthers finished the regular season with an NHL-best 4.15 goals per game and the league's best record.
Game 4 in Tampa Bay is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. ET on Monday night.
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