Panthers Can't Get Past Andrei Vasilevskiy After Early Goal

Matthew Tkachuk tapped in a goal less than three minutes into Saturday’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

It was the only mistake Tampa goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy would make all afternoon.

The 30-year-old would stop the next 31 shots he faced and keep the Panthers from going up 3-0 in this first round series.

It was a bit of a throwback performance for the 2019 Vezina winner. The Panthers largely had his number in last year’s first round matchup, scoring 3.2 goals per game. In Game 1 of this year’s rematch, they got six goals past him on just 17 shots.

“I don’t think game one is indicative of how it would be played if we were on our game, I don’t think we’re getting six (goals) on 18 shots,” Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said. “I mean, those aren’t unrelatable. He made a few good saves. I think we were just late on a bunch of either releases on our sticks or handles around the net. That’s what both these goalies will do, though. They’ll win hockey games.”

But Saturday was more reminiscent of the early days of the Battle of Florida from a goaltending perspective, like in 2022 when Vasilevskiy allowed three goals in a four-game sweep in the first round.

It’s not that the Lightning defense was particularly stingy, either. The Panthers got 15 high-danger scoring chances on net. Vasilevskiy stopped all but one of them.

The Panthers tried different line combinations and special teams units throughout the game. Aaron Ekblad on the second power play group. Brad Marchand, Matthew Tkachuk, and Sam Bennett on a line together. Shrinking the bench by cutting minutes to the fourth line.

None of it worked.

Unlike the blowout in Game 1, the Panthers struggled to get bodies in front of the next.

“We just gotta work harder to get there,” Aleksander Barkov said. “It’s not going to be easy, and it hasn’t been easy. So you just got to work a little harder and find a way to get to the net, and get the rebounds. They’re playing well. So we gotta work a little harder.”

"I think we're starting to see Vasy come into form here." – @Rupper17

Andrei Vasilevskiy stood tall for the @TBLightning in Game 3. @TonyLuftman | #GoBolts | #StanleyCup https://t.co/NM3o6Gq8O7 pic.twitter.com/skTeF03Rle

— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) April 26, 2025

The Panthers still looked like they were in control even after Tampa Bay scored once in the first and second periods. Natural Stat Trick estimated that the Panthers had 3.99 expected goals for.

Three more Lightning goals in the third buried Florida.

Game 4 is Monday at 7 p.m. The Panthers still hold a 2-1 series lead.