TAMPA, Fla. — There’s no number on the stat sheet that quantifies killing an opponent’s confidence, but the Lightning put a Panthers team with the best record in the regular season on the brink of elimination Sunday afternoon by taking away their will to win.
Their 5-1 victory over Florida means the Lightning can advance to the Eastern Conference Final for the third straight season with one more win after taking a commanding 3-0 series lead over the Panthers.
This series has been all about defense. Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy has been fantastic, as have been the skaters playing defense in front of him.
