The Florida Panthers, leading the Atlantic Division, achieved a remarkable milestone by securing their 11th consecutive road victory, setting a new franchise record. The Panthers dominated the Tampa Bay Lightning with a resounding 9-2 victory, fueled by outstanding performances from Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Bennett, who each contributed two goals and two assists.
This victory places the Panthers one point ahead of the Boston Bruins in the division standings, while the Lightning now trails by 11 points. Florida’s offensive outburst, scoring nine goals, marked a historic achievement for the team, setting a new record for most goals scored in a road game.
Aleksander Barkov, center for the Panthers, highlighted the rarity of such high-scoring games in the NHL and praised his team’s commitment to playing hard regardless of the score. The previous scoring record for the Panthers was 10 goals, set in a 10-5 home victory against Boston on November 26, 1997.
The Panthers’ 11-game road winning streak is just one shy of the NHL record, held by the 2005-06 Detroit Red Wings and the 2014-15 Minnesota Wild. Throughout this impressive streak, Florida has outscored their opponents by a staggering margin of 51-18.
Sergei Bobrovsky, the Panthers’ goaltender, made 28 saves and set a new team record with his eighth consecutive road victory. Other notable contributions came from Carter Verhaeghe, who recorded two goals and an assist, and Brandon Montour, who had a goal and two assists. Kevin Stenlund and Gustav Forsling also added to Florida’s offensive onslaught.
Sam Bennett, who ended a six-game pointless streak, emphasized the significance of defeating Tampa Bay, considering them one of their biggest rivals in the league. Despite the Lightning’s efforts, which included goals from Brandon Hagel and Brayden Point, their eight-game home winning streak came to an end.
Nikita Kucherov, the NHL points leader, extended his point streak to 10 games but finished the game with a minus-4 rating. The Panthers’ dominance was evident as Tkachuk scored two power-play goals within the first 1:37 of the second period, setting a new Panthers’ record for the fastest two goals to start a period.
While the Lightning’s captain, Steven Stamkos, acknowledged the difficulty of such defeats, he also expressed curiosity about how his team would respond. The game highlighted the Panthers’ prowess and depth, even in the absence of defenseman Aaron Ekblad, who missed the game due to a lower-body injury.
Leave a Reply