The Tampa Bay Lightning mounted a decisive comeback against the Florida Panthers, winning 5-1 in Game 3 of their playoff series, narrowing the deficit to 2-1. Andrei Vasilevskiy delivered a stellar performance, stopping 33 of 34 shots, while the offense rallied with goals from Jake Guentzel, Brayden Point, Nick Paul, and Luke Glendening. Anthony Cirelli capped off the scoring with an empty-net goal. Coach Jon Cooper noted the team's determined effort despite being down 0-2 in the series.

Florida's Matthew Tkachuk opened the scoring early, but Tampa Bay quickly responded, securing their first lead of the series through Nick Paul. With strong contributions from Nikita Kucherov, who notched three assists, the Lightning displayed resilience, aiming to level the series in Game 4. The Panthers, however, have historically thrived after taking a 2-0 lead in playoff series.