Bolts hope to extend Stanley Cup Playoff series lead in Game 2

SUNRISE, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Lightning will take on the Florida Panthers in Game 2 of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Tuesday night.

The Bolts made it out of their three-game losing streak against Florida in Game 1 thanks to their recently refreshed roster of star-studded players.

Nikita Kucherov scored two power-play goals in his first appearance after missing the entire regular season with a hip injury. He had surgery on Dec. 29 and played his first game since Sept. 28.

Victor Hedman, who also returned after missing the last two games, helped the team to victory with three assists.

The Lightning are 4-5-0 against the Panthers in 2020-21 combining regular season and playoff contests, including a 2-3-0 record at BB&T Center.

Tampa Bay has won five of the last six playoff games going back to the 2020 Stanley Cup Final. The team’s all-time Game 2 record is 18-10.

Tuesday’s projected lineup is as follows:

Forwards
Ondrej Palat – Brayden Point – Nikita Kucherov
Alex Killorn – Anthony Cirelli – Steven Stamkos
Ross Colton – Yanni Gourde – Blake Coleman
Pat Maroon – Tyler Johnson – Mathieu Joseph

Defensemen
Victor Hedman – Jan Rutta
Ryan McDonagh – Erik Cernak
Mikhail Sergachev – David Savard

Goaltenders
Andrei Vasilevskiy
Curtis McElhinney

Game 2 begins at 8 p.m. and can be streamed on NHL.TV.

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