So far, the Battle of Florida has once again gone the way of the defending Stanley Cup champions.
The Florida Panthers, who defeated their in-state rival Tampa Bay Lightning last season in the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs en route to their first franchise title, convincingly defeated the Lightning in the opening game of their series.
The 6-2 victory by the Panthers at Amalie Arena was a firm announcement by the Panthers that they have no intention of giving up their title without a fight; they lead the series 1-0.
Lightning Fans Weren’t Feeling Thunderstruck After The Game 1 Loss
Losing is not something that most new Lightning fans are accustomed to, and they don’t like losing to their in-state rival Panthers; they let it fly on social media.
This Lightning fan kept things simple, saying, “Absolutely embarrassing from Julien to Coop and down.”
Another fan appeared ready to throw in the towel already by saying, “Idk what to say. If we can’t win game 2, kiss this season and really all of what we knew the lightning to be since 2020 goodbye.”
Speaking of admitting defeat already, this fan had this to say: “We’re Getting Swept.”
This fan believes that Game 2 is a must-win or a coaching change should happen, saying, “If we lose in 4 games it might be time to turn the page on Coach Cooper.. Enough is enough. We need to FIGHT and defend OURS the next game because if they lose this next one they are getting broomed..”
Yet another fan had this to say: “What a garbage game. Smh.”
Finally, this Bolts fan expressed frustration by saying, “Horrific. Team has to wake the f**k if they want any chance at getting back into this series. Embarrassing.”
Lightning Defenseman McDonaugh Spoke Bluntly About The Loss
Lightning defenseman Ryan McDonaugh, who was re-acquired by the club from the Nashville Predators, admitted that it was a “salty” feeling in the dressing room following the frustrating loss.
“It’s definitely a salty feeling in here,” McDonagh said. “And we didn’t have a great start to this series like we talked about. But it’s a series here, and we know we can be better and we’ve got another level, and we’ll find a way to get to that.”
Despite allowing only 16 shots, the Panthers had too many prime chances.
“You’ve got guys on the doorstep putting it in, rebounds, open nets and stuff, so we’ve got to do a better job in front of (Andrei Vasilevskiy) there, let him see the puck first and foremost, clear the front of the net,” McDonagh said. “That’s a big emphasis here against this team and we need to be better there.”
The Lightning and Panthers will play Game 2 of the series on Thursday evening.
