Panthers streak ends at six with overtime loss to Lightning

Nick Bjugstad registered his first career hat trick and Sasha Barkov finished with three assists to earn the Panthers a key point in a 5-4 overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Panthers had won six consecutive games but earned a point for the seventh consecutive game to keep Florida within two points of the eighth and final playoff spot.

Brayden Point scored in overtime to win the game for Tampa Bay. Florida erased deficits of 2-0, 3-1 and 4-2 before tying the score in the third period and forcing overtime.

The Lightning jumped on the board for a two-goal lead with Yanni Gourde getting a loose puck coming off the end boards and finding the vacated side of the net at 10:38. Two minutes later, Mark Psysk tried to leave a puck behind the net, but Gourde was there instead to collect the gift and feed J.T. Miller coming down the left circle. Miller cut to his right and beat Roberto Luongo with a backhand at 12:51.

The Panthers cut the deficit in half as Bjugstad beat Andrei Vasilevskiy with 1:37 left in the opening period. But Gourde regained the two-goal advantage early in the second with a wrist shot from the right circle 1:27 in to the second period. Bjugstad again cut the deficit to a goal as he swatted a puck in the crease through the legs of Vasilevskiy at 13:35.

Bjugstad scored his third goal 21 seconds in to the third period followed by a power-play goal from Trocheck at 5:25 to tie the score at 4.