SUNRISE, Fla. -- Without suspended winger Brandon Hagel in the lineup, the Tampa Bay Lightning stormed back to defeat the Florida Panthers 5-1 Saturday, cutting their deficit in this Eastern Conference first-round series to 2-1.
Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 33 shots, and Tampa Bay registered five unanswered goals in front of a stunned crowd at Amerant Bank Arena that was hoping to celebrate a commanding 3-0 series lead in this playoff matinee.
Hagel was suspended one game by the NHL Department of Player Safety on Friday night for what it labeled "an extremely forceful body check to an unsuspecting opponent" that injured Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov in Game 2 at Amalie Arena.