Game, set and preseason match. Jared McCann notched a hat trick as the Florida Panthers roll to a third straight victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning with a 5-2 win at the BB&T Center on Thursday night.
Radim Vrbata opened the scoring with his second of the preseason 8:17 into the first period when he broke in on Peter Budaj from the left wing and converted. The lone assist went to Brandon Pirri, who is trying to secure a contract with his former team.
McCann added to the lead 6:07 later when he pumped home the rebound of Alex Petrovic’s bouncing shot from the point.