Overview
- Andrei Vasilevskiy made 33 saves as six different Lightning players scored in Tampa Bay’s 10th straight home victory.
- A third-period melee ignited after Matthew Tkachuk hit Nikita Kucherov from behind during a stoppage, prompting Brandon Hagel to fight Tkachuk.
- Officials assessed a combined 147 penalty minutes with multiple 10-minute and game misconducts, and Panthers coach Paul Maurice was ejected.
- Florida goaltender Daniil Tarasov exited in the third period with a lower-body injury, and Sergei Bobrovsky finished the game in relief.
- Several participants now head to the Winter Olympics, including Hagel (Canada) and Tkachuk (USA), a notable turn as fighting is prohibited in international play.