Cote: Florida Panthers' 4-1 Victory Over Tampa Signals Intent to Repeat as Champs | Opinion

It was a final game for the Florida Panthers on Wednesday evening, while for the hosting Tampa Bay Lightning, it was a must-win situation. The distinction lay in their respective standings.

They might have the edge with their desperation," Coach Paul Maurice stated following the morning practice session. "On our side, we could benefit from our sense of excitement.

Florida possibly, no, demonstrably , had something else:

A superior hockey squad compared to its in-state opponent.

An NHL team currently holding the Stanley Cup title believes they have what it takes to defend their championship, and this belief has grown stronger. believe so.

The Panthers' forward Sam Bennett transitioned from a state of limbo to one of elation when he scored the crucial fourth goal in their 6-3 victory, propelling Florida to a commanding 4-1 series win and leaving Tampa stunned as they head swiftly towards their off-season.

When Bennett received a penalty for slashing, Tampa managed to equalize during the ensuing power play.

Shortly after serving a penalty, he committed the same offense once more; however, this time his teammates put an end to it. Bennett then burst out of the box and within moments scored the decisive goal near the end of the second period, managing to shoot a medium-range backhand slap past Andrei Vasilevskier to his right side.

Eetu Luostarinen scored an insurance goal, followed by Sam Reinhart adding an empty-netter.

This signifies the 23rd successive Florida playoff victory when they lead after two periods. I reckon this streak can be credited to Sergei Bobrovsky. On Wednesday, six distinct players found their names on the scoresheet for the Panthers.

Florida will move forward to play against whichever team wins the Toronto-Ottawa series, with the Maple Leafs leading 3-2 heading into Game 6 on Thursday. Supporters of top-seeded Toronto have taken to social media expressing their desire for a matchup with the Panthers. Two points worth noting:

1) Uh, start by beating Ottawa first.

2) Watch out for what you desire.

Currently, the Panthers dominate among local professional sports teams. The Heat, without a doubt, suffered an embarrassing exit from the NBA playoffs' first round, getting swept away as though they were nothing more than dust. On Wednesday evening, Lionel Messi and Inter Miami faced further frustration when they lost their consecutive match against MLS rival Vancouver, thus being eliminated in the semifinals of the CONCACAF Champions League competition — adding yet another letdown to Messi’s career.

Before Game 5, Panthers defenseman Uvis Balinkskis stated, "The opening five minutes will be crucial."

He was somewhat correct. Things began with quite an impact... but we had barely begun.

Tampa was leading 1-0 at 2:33 with an out-in goal by Gage Goncalves, marking the first instance of the Lightning scoring first in this series.

However, swiftly, Florida equalized at 1-1 just 11 seconds after gaining an advantage, thanks to Carter Verhaeghe’s near-side backhand shot 5 minutes and 21 seconds into the match.

Shortly thereafter, at 10:06 into the first period, Brad Marchand's shot deflected into the net off Anton Lundell’s skate, giving the Cats a 2-1 lead. (Marchand has proven to be an excellent addition this late in the season, and his linemates have also performed admirably. Acquiring both Marchand and defenseman Seth Jones for their playoff drive further cements GM Bill Zito as the mastermind behind Florida's formidable team.)

The Panthers supporters, having traveled only a short distance, managed to make their presence known and silenced the home crowd initially. However, their dominance did not persist.

Tampa had tied the game at 2-2 when they were playing against Bobrovsky, with only 12 minutes and 16 seconds left in the first period. This happened thanks to Nick Paul’s mid-range attempt which unexpectedly found its way into the top right corner of the net.

"We understand that the momentum is swinging both ways," stated Paul during the break between periods.

Mo' came back to the Cats just 52 seconds into the second period with an unstoppable wrist shot from Anton Lundell. The puck deflected off Aleksander Barkov's stick and went past Andrei Vasilevskiy.

More than decided he fell for Tampa once more. Jake Guentzel equalized with his power-play goal at 9:56 of the second period, capitalizing on a Sam Bennett slashing infraction — thus breaking Florida's streak of 15 consecutive penalty kills.

Barkov stated following the second period: "We can improve our defense instead of carelessly passing the puck. They have a strong scoring ability. Giving them extra time or room would be unwise."

Indeed, that defense strengthened in the third quarter.

Sure, ask me what improved this series for Florida, that's straightforward.

The Cats' two quick third-period goals, scored just 11 seconds apart, transformed a 2-1 deficit in Game 4 into a final score of 4-2. This not only shifted momentum but also changed the outlook from a tied 2-2 series bound for Tampa to giving the Panthers a commanding 3-1 lead. Huge .

In NHL playoff history, teams leading 3-1 have had a 90.8 percent chance of moving forward (317-32).

Florida raised its probability to 100 as they concluded in a silent structure with just the Panthers supporters adding to the atmosphere.

In these playoffs, the Panthers weren't even the top-seeded team in their division.

Some uncertainty existed regarding whether this team was ready for an extended successful period and had the opportunity to defend their title.

Those doubts have vanished.

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