Hyde5: Power-play problems, Kucherov’s speed shows- five thoughts on Panters’ Game 1 loss

Will the Panthers ever score a power-play goal this postseason?

They’re 0-for-21 after Tuesday’s Game 1 loss to Tampa Bay.

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The Lightning had three power-play goals in six chances. The Panthers were 0-for-3. It doesn’t take much understanding of hockey’s nuances to know that’s the game right there.

Two power-play goals were reviewed by referees, too, and the Panthers couldn’t get a break there, either. Their power-play goal in the third period by Anthony Duclair was overruled on review after the puck clearly went out of play in hitting the net behind the Tampa Bay goal.

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The Panthers then challenged the Tampa Bay goal for interference on goalie Sergei Bobrovsky. With Bobrovsky in his goalie box, his head was bumped by the Lightning’s Anthony Cirelli as Nikita Kucherov’s shot went into the net. The TNT announcing crew, including referee analyst Don Koharski, considered it goalie interference.

The referees ruled it wasn’t.

That made it 3-1. The ensuing penalty for the failed challenge resulted in another power-play goal to make it 4-1.

That means the Lightning have 11 power-play goals these playoffs. The Panthers have none. This is the team that had the fifth-best power play in the regular season. No chance the Panthers get out of this series if their power play doesn’t kick in.

Panthers interim coach Andrew Brunette said he wants more shots, and the issue is building on itself.

“You get out of sync in these things, it’s hard to get your mojo back,” he said.

2. Tampa Bay’s Kucherov made a five-star move on Aaron Ekblad on the Lightning’s power-play goal in the second period (a power play set up when MacKenzie Weegar hooked the speedy Kucherov). He had speed and made an inside-out move on Ekblad and … well, the video tells the story.

3. Along with the Panthers’ power-play issues, there were penalty problems, right from the first minute when Weegar took a tripping penalty 27 seconds into the game. They slowed their attack, took the crowd out — and then Duclair had a high-sticking penalty midway through the first period. The Panthers, in all, had six penalties to the Lightning’s three.

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“I think we had ‘em where we want ‘em, five-on-five. We ‘ve just got to stay out of the box.”

4. Tampa Bay’s power play was without its quarterback, Brayden Point, who was hurt in Game 7 against Toronto. That’s the kind of injury that can swing nights, even series — not that you could tell in Game 1.

5. Save of the night: Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy on Claude Giroux in third period when it was 2-1. That could have changed the night for the Panthers. Instead, Vasilevskiy, who had 33 saves, picked up where he was in last year’s playoffs against he Panthers.