Luostarinen’s 4-Point Night Lifts Panthers to Second Round

Eetu Luostarinen was the standout of the clinching game. He had a four-point night for the Panthers with a goal and three assists.

The Lightning struck first for the first time in the series. Gage Goncalves scored his first goal of the playoffs. It was their lone lead of the game. Carter Verhaeghe and Anton Lundell each had a goal to get the Panthers in the lead, 2-1. Nick Paul tied it up 2-2 to end the first period.

Aleksander Barkov scored his first goal of the playoffs within the first minute of the second period to give the Panthers a 3-2 lead. Jake Guentzel scored a power-play goal to make it 3-3, and Sam Bennett scored to make it 4-3 heading into the final period of play. Bennett’s goal proved to be the game-winner.

Luostarinen made it 5-4 and picked up his fourth point on the night on an insurance goal. Sam Reinhart scored on the empty net to reach the final score.

Both teams went 1-for-3 on the power play. The Panthers outshot (31-28), outhit (46-26) and blocked more shots (18-14). Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky saved 26 of 29 on the night. Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy saved 25 of 30.

The Panthers will play the winner of the series between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators. The Maple Leafs currently lead the Battle of Ontario, 3-2. Meanwhile, the Lightning start their offseason early for the third straight season.

3 Stars of the Game:

1. Eetu Luostarinen (one goal and three assists)
2. Brad Marchand (two assists)
3. Gage Goncalves (one goal)