In a dominant playoff performance, the Florida Panthers secured a 2-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning, taking a commanding 2-0 lead in their first-round series. Nate Schmidt shined with a goal early in the game, his third in two games. Goalie Sergei Bobrovsky earned his fourth career playoff shutout, stopping 19 shots, while Sam Bennett sealed the victory with an empty-net goal late in the game. The Lightning struggled on the power play, failing to capitalize on five opportunities and managing only two shots during those chances.

Florida's early momentum was established with Schmidt's one-timer, set up by Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart after a faceoff win. Tampa Bay's Jake Guentzel and Brayden Point squandered early chances that could have shifted the game's outcome. Barkov left the game midway through the third period after a major interference penalty on Brandon Hagel, creating concern going forward in the series as the teams head to Sunrise for Game 3.