The defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers were in position to put a stranglehold on their first-round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning after taking the first two games of the series on the road against their in-state rivals. The Panthers came home to Sunrise with momentum on their side, but they were no match for the Lightning, who bounced back in powerful fashion and trounced their hosts by a 5-1 margin.

After struggling in the opening two games of the series, the Lightning played stellar hockey for 60 minutes. Andrei Vasilevskiy appeared to be in top form as he stopped 33 of 34 shots. The Lightning got goals from Jake Guentzel, Brayden Point, Nick Paul, Luke Glendening and Anthony Cirelli. Nikita Kucherov triggered the Tampa Bay attack with three assists.

Florida head coach Paul Maurice was disappointed that his team could not win on home ice. He pointed out that the Panthers did not have the consistency that he normally sees from his team.

“We just went flat for a while,” Maurice said, per Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald. “I liked our start. We missed connections on a bunch of stuff. There was the drive to make some plays. They didn’t go for us.”

Panthers still hold a 2-1 lead heading into Monday's Game 4

Florida Panthers forward Sam Bennett (9) skates against the Toronto Maple Leafs during the third period at Scotiabank Arena.
Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
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The Lightning did enough in Game 3 to get back in the series, but the Panthers can take a firm grasp on the series if they can bounce back with a home-ice victory in Game 4.

The Panthers started the game in solid form as Matthew Tkachuk opened the scoring after taking pass from Sam Bennett at the 2:34 mark of the first period. However, instead of building off that goal, the Panthers seemed to ease off the accelerator and that allowed the Lightning to find their game.

Point scored the tying goal with less than three minutes to go in the first period and Nick Paul gave the Lightning the lead when he snapped a shot by Sergei Bobrovsky in the second period. Guentzel's goal 21 seconds into the third period gave Tampa Bay firm control oft the game.

“I think it's a huge win for our team. It gives us some confidence and some life in the series,” Guentzel said after the game, per the Associated Press. “To go on the road, sometimes it brings everyone together. It's only one game. We've got to move on to the next one and be ready to go.”