The Tampa Bay Lightning secured a crucial win against the Florida Panthers with a commanding 5-1 victory in Game 3, narrowing the series deficit to 2-1. The game turned even more controversial late in the third period when Matthew Tkachuk of the Panthers delivered a questionable open-ice hit on Lightning's Jake Guentzel, resulting in a major penalty for interference.

As the incident unfolded, Guentzel had just passed the puck to Anthony Cirelli, who then scored into an empty net. Post-game comments from both teams highlighted the growing tensions, with Lightning coach Jon Cooper emphasizing that they only target players with the puck, echoing sentiments from Panthers coach Paul Maurice after a similar hit earlier in the series.