Brayden Point scored twice, including a power-play goal with 2:52 left in overtime, leading the Tampa Bay Lightning to a 3-2 win over the Florida Panthers on Friday night in Sunrise, Fla.
Steven Stamkos, who had Tampa Bay’s other goal, got the primary assist on the game-winner, setting Point up in the slot.
Nikita Kucherov added two primary assists for Tampa Bay, and Andrei Vasilevskiy made 35 saves for the win.
Matthew Tkachuk had a goal and an assist, Rudolfs Balcers also scored and Brandon Montour notched two assists for the Panthers. However, Tkachuk’s slashing and roughing penalties on Kucherov set up Tampa Bay’s winning power play. Victor Hedman was called for slashing on the play.
Sergei Bobrovsky made 29 saves, and the Panthers killed off five of Tampa Bay’s seven power-play opportunities, including two midway through the third period.
Stamkos extended his season-opening goals streak to five straight games. He has seven goals on the season. He started the night tied for the NHL lead with Carolina’s Andrei Svechnikov.
Tkachuk extended his season-opening points streak to five games. He has eight points overall.
Tampa Bay opened the scoring with 13:04 gone in the first period, getting a Stamkos power-play goal just 18 seconds after Sam Bennett was sent off for tripping Mikhail Sergachev. On the goal, Kucherov slipped a pass to Stamkos, who scored on a one-timer from the left circle.
Florida tied the game with 15:48 expired in the first as Tkachuk tipped in a backhanded shot by Montour.
The Panthers finished the first period with an 18-8 advantage in shots on goal.
In the second period, Florida killed off two penalties, including a second tripping call on Bennett.
Then, with 4:23 left in the second, the Panthers took their first lead of the game, 2-1, on Balcers’ goal. Playing just his fifth game for Florida, Balcers scored his second goal, pouncing on a loose puck and backhanding it past Vasilevskiy. Tkachuk earned the primary assist.
Tampa Bay tied the score 2-2 on Point’s tip-in goal with 10:31 left in the third period. Kucherov had the primary assist again.
–Field Level Media
