Florida Panthers beat Lightning to clinch playoff spot
Carter Verhaeghe's goal early in the third period lifts Florida to a 3-2 victory
The Panthers are now 10-1-1 in their last 12 games
The Florida Panthers clinched a playoff spot with a 3-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday night. Carter Verhaeghe scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period, and Sergei Bobrovsky made 27 saves to earn the victory.
The Panthers are now 10-1-1 in their last 12 games and have moved into third place in the Atlantic Division. The Lightning, meanwhile, are now 9-3-1 in their last 13 games but remain in second place in the division.
The game was a back-and-forth affair, with both teams trading chances throughout. The Lightning took an early lead on a goal by Steven Stamkos, but the Panthers tied it up on a goal by Aleksander Barkov later in the first period.
The teams traded goals again in the second period, with Nikita Kucherov scoring for the Lightning and Jonathan Huberdeau scoring for the Panthers.
Verhaeghe's goal came early in the third period, and it proved to be the game-winner. Bobrovsky made several key saves down the stretch to preserve the victory for the Panthers.
The Panthers will be back in action on Tuesday night when they host the Boston Bruins. The Lightning will be back in action on Monday night when they host the Montreal Canadiens.
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