Tampa Bay goalkeeper Andrei Vasilevskiy did not allow Florida to score more than once per game, including a 49-save shutout in Game 4.
Courtesy of the Tampa Bay Lightning
By Max Steele
The Tampa Bay Lightning completed its 4-0 series sweep over state-rival Florida Panthers on Monday and advance to the National Hockey League Eastern Conference Finals (ECF) for the third postseason in a row.
Despite the Panthers finishing the regular season with the best record in the league, the Lightning dominated the series both offensively and defensively, outscoring the Panthers 13-3 across all four games.
Tampa Bay goalkeeper Andrei Vasilevskiy did not allow Florida to score more than once per game, including a 49-save shutout in Game 4.
“He wasn’t letting anything in,” Lightning head coach Jon Cooper told the Tampa Bay Times following the series-winning game.
“I’m just trying to do my job as best as I can. My job is to just give our boys a chance to win,” Vasilevskiy said. “A great effort by everybody on our team, it’s obviously not just me.”
This victory marks the team’s 10th consecutive playoff series win and sixth conference final appearance in the last eight seasons.
The Lightning will take on either the New York Rangers or the Carolina Hurricanes in the ECF. The series is currently tied 2-2 with Game 5 set for May 26 at 7 p.m.
Tampa Bay went 0-3 when facing the Rangers this season and 1-2 when facing the Hurricanes. Both teams finished the regular season with a better record than Tampa Bay.
