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.

The Florida Panthers couldn't maintain their home-ice advantage, falling 5-1 to the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 3 of their first-round series. Despite returning key players like Aaron Ekblad and Aleksander Barkov, the Panthers were unable to capitalize on their early lead. Tampa Bay's offense, led by Jake Guentzel's two-point performance, outmatched Florida's defense. The Panthers' ability to generate offense was stifled by Tampa's improved defensive play around goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, who made 33 saves. Florida's missed assignments proved costly, allowing Tampa Bay to capitalize and take the series lead.

Andrei Vasilevskiy delivered a stellar performance for the Tampa Bay Lightning, stopping 33 shots to secure a 5-1 victory against the Florida Panthers, narrowing the series gap to 2-1. The Lightning's offensive surge included goals from Jake Guentzel, Brayden Point, Nick Paul, and Luke Glendening, with Anthony Cirelli sealing the win with an empty-netter.

Paul's second-period goal marked the Lightning's first lead of the series, while Guentzel quickly extended it early in the third. Matthew Tkachuk scored the lone goal for the Panthers, who have historically thrived after taking a 2-0 series lead. The Lightning are poised to even the series in the next game.

Matthew Tkachuk returned from a two-month absence and instantly made an impact by scoring two power-play goals and adding an assist, leading the Florida Panthers to a decisive 6-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 1 of their playoff series. Nate Schmidt also shone with two goals, while Sam Bennett and Sam Reinhart contributed significantly with a goal and an assist each. Sergei Bobrovsky had a solid performance, making 20 saves, while the Lightning struggled, playing a significant part of the game without center Anthony Cirelli, whose absence was not immediately explained.

The Panthers demonstrated dominance early, with Bennett scoring first and Schmidt netting on a power play following a successful challenge. Tkachuk's quick two goals in the second period established a commanding lead. Although Tampa Bay's Brayden Point managed to cut the deficit, Florida's relentless offense, highlighted by Schmidt's third power-play goal, solidified their victory. The teams will face off again in Game 2 on Thursday at Amalie Arena.

Nathan MacKinnon shined with two goals while Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid provided key contributions with a goal and an assist each, leading Canada to a 5-3 victory over Finland. The win secured a rematch against the United States in the finals of the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament. Canada jumped to an early 4-0 lead, thanks also to Brayden Point’s goal and Sam Reinhart’s three assists, putting Finland on the defensive. Despite a late surge from Finland, Canada managed to hold off the efforts and clinch a spot in the final.

In a contest filled with international rivalry, Canada's early offensive barrage demonstrated their prowess, with MacKinnon and McDavid making significant impacts. Goaltender Jordan Binnington made critical saves, allowing Canada to withstand a late-game comeback attempt from Finland, who scored two late goals but fell short. As the tournament marks the NHL's return to international play post-2018 and 2022 Olympics, anticipation builds for the rematch against the U.S.