First round: Lightning-Panthers Game 2 live updates

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Steven Stamkos, Ondrej Palat and Yanni Gourde scored as the Lightning beat the Florida Panthers 2-1 in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series Tuesday at BB&T Center in Sunrise.

The Lightning lead the best-of-seven series 2-0.

A Stamkos pass that deflected off former Tampa Bay defenseman Anton Stralman and into the net opened the scoring. Palat scored the second goal on a rebound of a Brayden Point shot that went off the post. Gourde added an empty-net goal in the closing minutes.

Former Lightning forward Carter Verhaeghe set up Mason Marchment with a pass from just above the goal line, as the Panthers trimmed Tampa Bay’s lead to 2-1 in the second period.

Florida made a change in net, with Chris Driedger replacing Game 1 starter Sergei Bobrovsky. With Stralman in the lineup as the seventh defenseman, the Panthers played with one fewer forward.

The Lightning did the same, inserting defenseman Luke Schenn into the lineup in place of forward Mathieu Joseph.

Florida was without center Sam Bennett, who was suspended one game for charging Blake Coleman in the third period of Game 1.

Follow our live updates throughout the game:

Third period

Lightning open the period on the power play after the roughing penalty to MacKenzie Weegar to end the second

Steven Stamkos just misses from the left circle after a tape-to-tape pass from Nikita Kucherov

The Lightning power play ends as Kucherov is penalized for tripping on the backcheck. We’ll have 4-on-4 for 52 seconds before the Panthers go on the power play

Anthony Cirelli shoots wide from the high slot

Ryan McDonagh breaks up a pass and clears the zone

Yanni Gourde kills a bit more time with a steal and scoring chance in the Panthers zone

Anthony Duclair misses on a backdoor opportunity

Lightning kill the penalty

Andrei Vasilevskiy stops Carter Verhaeghe backhand chance and keeps the puck away from Aleksander Barkov

Victor Hedman shot saved by Driedger

Ryan McDonagh shoves Mason Marchment to the ice near the corner

Pat Maroon penalized for tripping

Lightning kill the penalty

Mikhail Sergachev hits the post with a shot

Vasilevskiy goes post to post to stop a backdoor attempt from Carter Verhaeghe

Vasilevskiy smothers quick shot from Brandon Montour

Victor Hedman snap shot goes high off Driedger

Panthers pull Driedger

Vasilevskiy stops Weegar attempt

Ondrej Palat and Ryan McDonagh break up a pass for Barkov

LIGHTNING GOAL! Yanni Gourde scores into an empty net. Lightning 3, Panthers 1.

Skirmish in front of Lightning net results in penalties to Erik Cernak and Ryan Lomberg. Tampa Bay winds up with a power play

Driedger gloves a high shot from Kucherov

Second period

MacKenzie Weegar penalized for delay of game after shooting the puck over the glass

Steven Stamkos one-timer goes high over Driedger’s shoulder

Victor Hedman misses on a great one-time chance from the point

Nikita Kucherov shot blocked

Panthers kill the penalty

Vasilevskiy with a kick save on a shot by Owen Tippett

Another Vasilevskiy kick save

Anton Stralman reaches in with his stick to deflect a Stamkos shot from in front up over the net

Patric Hornqvist shot steered wide by Vasilevskiy

Active shift for Pat Maroon, who puts big hits on Patric Hornqvist and Radko Gudas

Brayden Point penalized for holding, and the Panthers get their first power play

Alexsander Barkov shot blocked by Ryan McDonagh

Yanni Goudre wins a faceoff and the Lightning clear the zone

Barkov shot goes wide and the puck caroms to the other end of the ice

Lightning kill the penalty

PANTHERS SCORE: Mason Marchment scores top shelf after a feed from Carter Verhaeghe. Lightning 2, Panthers 1.

Radko Gudas rocks Blake Coleman with a high hit at center ice

The Lightning will start the third period on the power play after MacKenzie Weegar picks up a penalty late

(Lightning lead 2-1 after two periods)

First period

Chris Driedger makes a save on Yanni Gourde’s chance from low in the right circle

MacKenzie Weegar shoots wide from the right circle

Ondrej Palat and Nikita Kucherov have 2-on-1, but Palat’s pass doesn’t allow Kucherov to bet a shot off.

LIGHTNING GOAL! Steven Stamkos scores when his pass for Alex Killorn goes in off Anton Stralman’s pad. Lightning 1, Panthers 0. Tampa Bay scores first for the second time in the series.

Great backcheck by Weegar prevents Nikita Kucherov scoring opportunity after a 2-on-1 with Brayden Point. Kucherov slow to get up after going hard into the end wall

Jonathan Huberdeau centering pass just misses the stick of Owen Tippett. A similar pass from Alex Wennberg just moments later also goes by Tippett’s stick

Frank Vatrano shot from the left point goes off a body in front of the Lightning net

Weegar shot hits a skate

Driedger robs Anthony Cirelli from the doorstep after puck bounces away from Radko Gudas

Mikhail Sergachev screaming at official after hit into the boards from Ryan Lomberg, who came a long way to hit him

Missed opportunity for Yanni Gourde, who loses control of the puck from low in the left circle after being sprung by Ryan McDonagh

Driedger covers Alex Killorn deflection from in front

LIGHTNING GOAL! Ondrej Palat scores on a long rebound after a rush from Brayden Point and a shot off the goalpost. Lightning 2, Panthers 0.

Andrei Vasilevskiy stops Anthony Duclair chance from low in the slot.

Driedger stops rolling shot from Ross Colton

Brayden Point shot from the slot stopped by Driedger

Anthony Cirelli shoots off the crossbar after being hit by Weegar and sliding into the end boards

Duclair slapshot deflected high by Point

(Lightning lead 2-0 after first period)

Your pregame scouting report

Caught your breath yet? Because you’re about to lose it again.

Two nights after the Lightning and Panthers combined for nine goals, four lead changes, 90 hits, 79 shots, 34 penalty minutes and untold post-whistle scrums in their first-ever postseason meeting, the teams will resume hostilities tonight at BB&T Center in Sunrise for Game 2 of their best-of-seven, opening-round playoff series.

With Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos back in the lineup, the Lightning won Game 1 on Sunday, 5-4 on Brayden Point’s breakaway goal with 1:14 remaining. Point and Kucherov, who missed the entire regular season following hip surgery, scored two goals apiece. Blake Coleman added a shorthanded goal.

The Lightning dominated special-teams play, scoring on three of their four power-play opportunities and killing two of three penalties while also scoring shorthanded. But Florida had the better of the play at even strength, outscoring Tampa Bay 3-1.

Anxious to even the series, the Panthers have made a change in net, with Chris Driedger replacing Sergei Bobrovsky, who allowed five goals on 40 shots on Sunday.

Florida will be without second-line center Sam Bennett, who was suspended one game for charging Coleman in the third period of Game 1. Bennett, who had two assists in the game, will be replaced by Alex Wennberg, with Jonathan Huberdeau and Owen Tippett on the wings.

Follow our live updates, starting at 8 p.m., as the Lightning aim to take a two-game lead in the series.

Setting the scene

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