Tampa Bay Lightning score with 3.8 seconds left to stun Florida Panthers and take 2-0 series lead

The Florida Panthers badly needed a Game 2 victory Thursday in their second-round playoff series against two-time defending champion Tampa Bay. It wasn’t a must-win situation for the Panthers, the Presidents’ Trophy winners who were in the second round for the first time in 26 years, but it was a need-to-win situation.

It didn’t happen for the Panthers.

Tampa Bay stole a 2-1 victory as left wing Ross Colton, uncovered in front of the net, took a stellar feed from Nikita Kucherov, who was double-teamed behind the goal, and scored with 3.8 seconds left to give the Lightning a 2-0 lead in this best-of-seven series.

The sellout crowd at FLA Live Arena went home disappointed after watching its team play almost 60 minutes of solid hockey.

“I loved our game,” Panthers interim coach Andrew Brunette said. “I thought we were in great position, control of the puck with 20 seconds left and just didn’t manage it. Kind of made a fatal mistake.”

Tampa Bay won the first game 4-1 on Tuesday at FLA Live Arena, which means that if the Lightning win Games 3 and 4 in Tampa, they will sweep the series.

Game 3 is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Sunday at Tampa Bay.

Results have been mixed in this year’s playoffs for teams that fall behind 2-0. Boston went down to Carolina 2-0 in the first round before losing in seven games, but the New York Rangers fell behind Pittsburgh 3-1 in the first round before winning in seven games.

Florida goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, who had 26 saves, played another strong game but he couldn’t keep the final shot out of the net.

“It’s kind of tough,” Bobrovsky said of the game-winning goal. “It was behind the net, straight behind, he made a good pass and it was a good shot.”

Bobrovsky said the locker room was quiet after the game. But he’s trying to take a pragmatic approach.

“It is what it is right now,” he said. “We just have to re-focus, re-group and get ready for the next game.”

Special teams remain a concern for Florida in the playoffs. The Panthers are 0 for 25 on power plays in the postseason, including 0 for 7 against Tampa Bay.

Meanwhile, on the other side of special teams in this series Tampa Bay is 4 for 9 on power plays after going 1 for 3 in Game 2.

Just as troubling for the Panthers, who led the NHL with 4.1 goals per game during the regular season, the goals aren’t coming in this series. They’ve scored one per game.

“It’s playoff hockey,” Bobrovsky said. “There’s not much space, not much room.”

And more importantly, not much room for error, as the Panthers found out with their finish.

“For a game that was structurally all game pretty good,” Brunette said, “it was the last 20 seconds that cost us.”

For a while it appeared things would go Florida’s way in the third period. Bobrovsky had a highlight-reel save on a shot by Onderej Palat with 4:03 left, reaching back with his glove hand while falling forward to prevent a potential game-winner. It seemed to be a good harbinger, but it was a mirage.

Still, Bobrovsky was strong, according to Brunette.

“He’s been great all playoffs,” he said. “We feel good about that.”

Tampa Bay goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, last year’s Conn Smythe winner, was also good, recording 35 saves,

“Both were good,” Brunette said of the goalies.

Florida tied the game at 1-1 late in the second period when Eetu Luostarinen’s shot appeared to get caught briefly between Vasilevskiy’s glove and sweater, and then trickled into the goal as he tried to locate the puck. Claude Giroux and Gustav Forsling had the assists.

The goal allowed the Panthers to breathe a bit easier and, for a short time, find their offensive rhythm. Florida took four shots in the final 1:06 of the second period and nine shots on goals in the first four minutes of the third period.

The crowd tried to do its part in the game, breaking out in a full-throated “Let’s Go Panthers!” chant in the second period that resulted in a couple of shots on goal and a vicious hit by Radko Gudas on Nicholas Paul.

The crowd’s chant and renewed energy didn’t lead to a Panthers goal but it might have buoyed the home team.

“Great building, great atmosphere,” Bobrovsky said.

Florida came out with lots of energy in Game 2. The action started quickly with Florida’s Patric Hornqvist putting Palat into the bards with a hard hit shortly after the opening faceoff, followed quickly by Florida’s MacKenzie Weegar putting a hit on Corey Perry and Colton hitting Carter Verhaeghe. The Panthers ended the first period with 24 hits while Tampa Bay had 20. Florida and Tampa Bay each had 30 hits in Game 1.

Florida ended with 52 hits while Tampa Bay had 35.

But now it’s all about Game 3 and whether Florida can awaken its offense and get a victory.

They were close in Game 2,

“That 20 seconds,” Brunette said in reference to the end of the game, “is one that stings.”

Marchment misses third consecutive game

Panthers forward Mason Marchment missed Game 2, his third consecutive absence, due to a lower body injury. Marchment’s last appearance was Game 4 of the first-round series against Washington. Marchment is considered day-to-day.

Tampa Bay’s Brayden Point sidelined again

Lightning center Brayden Point missed Thursday’s Game 2 of the second-round playoff series against the Panthers with a lower body injury.

Point had four points (two goals, two assists) in Tampa Bay’s seven-game first-round victory over Toronto. He led the Lightning in goals each of the past two postseasons with 14 each year. Point is considered day-to-day.