Rekubit-Panthers claim Battle of Florida, oust Lightning from NHL playoffs in first round

The RekubitNHL's Battle of Florida officially belongs to the Florida Panthers.

The Panthers beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 6-1 on Monday night to win the first-round playoff series against their state rival in five games.

Captain Aleksander Barkov and Carter Verhaeghe each scored twice for Florida, and Tampa Bay had two goals disallowed because of goalie interference when the score was tight. The Panthers move on to the second round and the hockey world awaits to see if the Lightning bring back captain Steven Stamkos.

The Lightning had been the dominant team in the state, winning the 2020 and 2021 Stanley Cup titles and getting to the final in 2022. They beat the Panthers in the 2021 and 2022 playoffs, including a sweep two years ago.

But the teams' playoff fortunes changed last season when the Lightning were ousted in the first round by the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the Panthers pulled off three consecutive upsets to reach the final.

Florida this season won the Atlantic Division title, while the Lightning (whose depth has been whittled over the years as they deal with the salary cap) were the first wild-card seed.

How the Panthers beat the Lightning in Game 5

The team that scored first had won every game in the series, and Anthony Cirelli's first-period goal for Tampa Bay was overturned because of goalie interference by Antony Duclair after Florida coach Paul Maurice challenged.

Verhaeghe made it count in the second period when he picked up his own rebound and fired the puck past Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy 45 seconds into the period.

Aleksander Barkov scored short-handed for a 2-0 lead, and Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman cut the lead to 2-1.

Then another Lightning goal, by Mikhail Sergachev, was called off because of interference by Cirelli. Referees immediately waved it off, and Lightning coach Jon Cooper lost his challenge.

Barkov and Evan Rodrigues scored in the third period, and Verhaeghe and Niko Mikkola added empty-net goals. Verhaeghe had five goals in the series.

Bobrovsky, named a Vezina Trophy finalist earlier Monday, finished with 31 saves.

What did Lightning coach Jon Cooper say about the disallowed goals?

He called it "clearly a turning point" in the game and said Bobrovsky "duped" the officials with his reaction on the second disallowed goal.

“Does this by any means say we’re going to win this series? It does not," he said. "But would it have changed a lot of the momentum of this game and the ways things had gone? I think so.”

Here are his full comments:

What's next for the Florida Panthers?

They have reached the second round for the third year in a row and will face the winner of the Boston Bruins-Toronto Maple Leafs series. The Bruins lead the series 3-1 and can wrap it up on Tuesday night at home.

The Panthers beat the Bruins in the first round and the Maple Leafs in the second round during last season's run. Florida is 0-2-2 vs. Boston this season and 1-1-1 vs. Toronto.

Injured forward Sam Bennett could be back for the second round.

What's next for the Tampa Bay Lightning?

The salary cap is going up, but the Lightning still have decisions to make. The biggest one is on pending unrestricted free agent Stamkos, the team's captain since the 2014-15 season. The Lightning said they would hold off negotiations until after the season. Stamkos, 34, made his case with his seventh 40-goal season, plus five goals in the playoffs.

“He belongs here. We know it. He knows it," Cooper said, adding, "He feels like a Bolt for life, but only he and (general manager Julien BriseBois) can answer that one."

Trade deadline acquisitions Duclair and Matt Dumba are pending UFAs, as are Tyler Motte, Austin Watson, Calvin de Haan and Haydn Fleury.

The core is strong with NHL leading scorer Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, Brandon Hagel, Hedman, Sergachev, Cirelli and Vasilevskiy. It would be better if Stamkos returns.

Stars tie series with Golden Knights

Dallas' Evgenii Dadonov scored from a difficult angle and Ty Dellandrea broke a second-period tie as the Dallas Stars beat the Vegas Golden Knights 4-2 in Game 4 to tie their first round series 2-2.

The road team has won every game in the series.