SUNRISE, Fla. — Tyler Johnson scored twice in a four-goal second period for the Tampa Bay Lightning in a 6-1 victory against the Florida Panthers at BB&T Center on Saturday.
Andrei Vasilevskiy made 33 saves and Gemel Smith had two assists in his first game of the season for Tampa Bay (10-2-1), which had its six-game winning streak ended by the Panthers on Thursday. They will complete the three-game set Monday in Tampa.
Frank Vatrano scored, and Sergei Bobrovsky made 22 saves for the Panthers (8-2-2). It was Bobrovsky’s first loss in regulation this season (5-1-1).
Tampa Bay played a second consecutive game without captain Steven Stamkos, who missed the game Thursday with a lower-body injury and was placed on the NHL COVID-19 protocol list Friday.
Johnson scored the Lightning’s final two goals of the second period. His first goal came on a one-timer on a feed from Smith at 12:58, and the second on a backhand at 19:48 when he got a loose puck in traffic at the side of the net.
Ondrej Palat gave Tampa Bay a 1-0 lead at 4:11 of the second period with a power-play goal on a one-timer from the right circle.
Mathieu Joseph made it 2-0 at 5:32 on a breakaway after blocking a shot just inside the Tampa Bay blue line.
Vatrano cut it to 4-1 at 9:47 of the third period with a wrist shot from the slot before Alexander Volkov scored his first NHL goal at 10:58 to increase the lead to 5-1. It was Volkov’s 17th NHL game.
Barclay Goodrow scored on a breakaway at 15:45 for the 6-1 final.
Florida forward Anthony Duclair returned after missing one game because of the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol.
