The 5-1 victory was pivotal for the Lightning's playoff hopes, as they were in danger of falling behind 3-0 in the Battle of Florida.At the center of the Lightning and Panthers contest was Tampa Bay forward Jake Guentzel.

The Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning series intensified on Saturday after a controversial hit involving Panthers' Matthew Tkachuk and Lightning's Jake Guentzel during Game 3. The Lightning earned a 5-1 victory at Amerant Bank Arena to cut Florida’s series lead to 2–1, but the late-game incident drew much of the postgame attention.

"The bigger the moment, the bigger he plays," teammate Luke Glendening said of Guentzel's ability to elevate his play in the postseason.

The Tampa Bay Lightning looked much more like its championship-caliber form in a 5-1 win against the Florida Panthers in Game 3.

The Florida Panthers look to tighten their grip on their first-round NHL Playoffs series with the Tampa Bay Lightning with Game 3 on Saturday on their home ice.