{"id":145657,"date":"2026-02-06T04:23:54","date_gmt":"2026-02-06T04:23:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/145657\/"},"modified":"2026-02-06T04:23:54","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T04:23:54","slug":"maurice-tossed-tarasov-hurt-in-panthers-loss-to-lightning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/145657\/","title":{"rendered":"Maurice Tossed, Tarasov Hurt in Panthers Loss to Lightning"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Florida Panthers gave the Tampa Bay Lightning everything they had Thursday night.<\/p>\n

It was not enough.<\/p>\n

Not even close.<\/p>\n

The Panthers, playing without two more of their big players not including Brad Marchand, could not get anything past the red-hot Andrei Vasilevskiy until the game was well decided in a 6-1 loss.<\/p>\n

This was a blowout game that will be remembered, again, for the fun the Panthers and Lightning always seem to have when they play each other.<\/p>\n

Even Paul Maurice got in on the action, getting tossed in the third period after things got a testy with Matthew Tkachuk, Gus Forsling and others getting into scraps.<\/p>\n

Tkachuk and Forsling were among the list of Panthers who got game misconducts with about 15 minutes left.<\/p>\n

Maurice, for one, had seen enough.<\/p>\n

He was somewhere in the building watching when the Lightning made it 5-0 on a goal by Pontus Holmberg after Daniil Tarasov appeared to injure his groin when he got hit by a teammate against the cage.<\/p>\n

Tarasov could not get off the ice allowing Holmberg to punch in a loose puck from the doorstep.<\/p>\n

Sergei Bobrovsky came in after Tarasov was helped off the ice.<\/p>\n

Mackie Samoskevich got his sixth of the season a little over 3 minutes later.<\/p>\n

Florida goes into its nearly three-week break for the Olympics with losses in five of six.<\/p>\n

The Panthers have 25 games left to try and get into the playoffs.<\/p>\n

Tampa Bay, meanwhile, is safe and secure like a Lightning bug snug in a rug.<\/p>\n

The Lightning sit atop the Eastern Conference standings and go into the break a phenomenal 19-1-1 in its past 21 games.<\/p>\n

Tuesday, the Panthers outshot Tampa Bay in each of the first two periods yet trailed 4-0 after 40.<\/p>\n

After the second period, Florida had a 48-29 advantage in shot attempts, yet nothing got past Vasilevskiy.<\/p>\n

NOTES: PANTHERS at LIGHTNING<\/p>\n

Mikulas Hovorka made his NHL debut after the Panthers called him up from AHL Charlotte.
\nThe Panthers played Thursday without Marchand, Aaron Ekblad, and Evan Rodrigues.<\/p>\n

HOW THEY SCORED<\/p>\n

Lightning 1, Panthers 0 (2:08 1st): A shot from Victor Hedman is deflected in the slot by Brandon Hagel and he puts the puck between his skates and through.
\nLightning 2, Panthers 0 (14:08 1st): Zemgus Girgensons gets to a loose puck that beats Daniil Tarasov five hole.
\nLightning 3, Panthers 0 (1:14 2nd PP): The Panthers fail to clear the puck and Jake Guenzel jumps on a rebound.
\nLightning 4, Panthers 0 (17:50 2nd): Erik Cernak walks through the Florida defense, wraps around the net and banks one off the shoulder of Tarasov and through.
\nLightning 5, Panthers 0 (6:09 3rd PP): Pontus Holmberg jams a puck past an injured Tarasov.
\nLightning 5, Panthers 1 (9:50 3rd PP): Mackie Samoskevich rips one from the right circle that goes off the cage and bounces off the shoulder of Andrei Vasilevskiy and in.
\nLightning 6, Panthers 1 (15:41 3rd): Oliver Bjorkstrand picks his corner against Sergei Bobrovsky.<\/p>\n

FHN\u2019S 3 STARS<\/p>\n

1. Andrei Vasilevskiy, Lightning
\n2. Brandom Hagel, Lightning
\n3. Jake Guentzel, Lightning<\/p>\n

ON DECK: NHL WINTER OLYMPIC BREAK
\nNEXT GAME \u2014 No. 58
\nTORONTO MAPLE LEAFS at FLORIDA PANTHERS<\/p>\n

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