Florida Panthers’ franchise-record, 13-game winning streak ends with loss to Lightning

Thirteen wasn’t lucky at all.

The Florida Panthers’ franchise-record 13-game win streak came to a crashing halt on Sunday night, losing 8-4 to the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning.

Florida still leads the NHL with 120 points, and the Panthers are the highest-scoring team in the league.

Still, this was a bitter loss to their in-state rivals for the Panthers, who never led but managed to tie the score twice (1-1 and 3-3).

It was Florida’s first loss since March 27 at the Toronto Maple Leafs. It also put an end to the Panthers’ regular-season home schedule as they close on the road at the Boston Bruins on Tuesday, at the Ottawa Senators on Thursday and at the Montreal Canadiens on Friday.

The Panthers finished with the best home record in the league at 34-7-0.

“It would’ve been nice to finish on a high note at home,” Panthers interim coach Andrew Brunette said. “It didn’t happen tonight, but I I think we gave our fans a lot of great memories in the regular season.

“Now it’s time to build [memories] in the playoffs.”

Nicholas Paul scored twice — including a sensational go-ahead shorthanded goal in the second period — to lead Tampa Bay.

Paul’s go-ahead goal was set up by Brandon Hagel, who beat Panthers star Aleksander Barkov to a loose puck behind Florida’s net. Hagel took a quick look behind him before passing to a charging Paul.

From there, Paul slipped the puck between his legs before lifting a shot above goalie Spencer Knight’s blocker.

The Lightning also got two goals from Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos and one tally each from Cal Foote and Brayden Point. Tampa Bay has 106 points, and the Lightning — like the Panthers — have already clinched a playoff berth.

Florida got two goals from Sam Reinhart and one each from Brandon Montour and Mason Marchment.

Andrei Vasilevskiy made 37 saves for the Lightning.

Knight was pulled with 7:01 left in the second period. He allowed five goals and made 12 saves for the Panthers. Sergei Bobrovsky finished the night in goal. He allowed three goals and made 13 stops.

Tampa Bay led 3-2 after a wild first period.

After Kucherov scored to give Tampa Bay a 1-0 lead, the Panthers tied the score less than two minutes later. Reinhart got the goal, using Lightning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev as a screen and surprising Vasilevskiy with a quick shot.

Tampa Bay took a 3-1 lead on Stamkos’ power-play goal and Foote’s tally on a 2-on-1 rush.

Montour’s booming slapshot with 2:32 left in the first cut Florida’s deficit to 3-2. Montour got a great screen from Patrick Hornqvist on the play.

Florida tied the score just 33 seconds into the second period as Claude Giroux lofted a pass ahead toward Marchment, who batted in the bouncing puck with his extended right arm.

But Paul scored the go-ahead goal with 5:28 elapsed in the second.

Then, with 12:59 expired in the second, Paul scored again. This time, he stole the puck and tried to pass it to Alex Killorn. But Knight tried to intercept the pass, and the puck went in off his stick for a 5-3 Lightning lead.

Brunette then pulled Knight, but the damage had been done.

The Lightning finished 2 for 7 on the power play. Florida went 1 for 6.

“Five-on-five, I thought we played our game,” Brunette said. “With the power plays — we haven’t had that happen all year. I’m glad it happened in bunches because it’s something we can learn from and go forward.

“I’d rather learn from it and get it out of the way instead of it happening next week [in the playoffs].”

This story was originally published April 23, 2022 at 10:48 PM.