Bennett fired a wrist shot that flew past Andrei Vasilevskiy. Panthers goal. Florida lead. “Definitely a little weight off my shoulders,” Bennett said. Florida breathed a little bit easier after that and locked the game down the rest of the way in its 6-3 win over Tampa Bay in Game 5 at Amalie Arena to clinch the first-round playoff series and continue the Panthers’ quest to defend their Stanley Cup title.

In enemy territory, although roughly four hours from their home arena, the Florida Panthers have the chance to punch their ticket to the second round of the playoffs with a victory in Game 5 over the Tampa Bay Lightning.