Tampa Bay Lightning at Florida Panthers
NHL game between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Florida Panthers on Dec 28, 2025. Final score: Tampa Bay Lightning 4, Florida Panthers 2.
| Status | Final |
|---|---|
| Date | Dec 28, 2025 |
| Venue | Amerant Bank Arena |
| Tampa Bay Lightning score | 4 |
| Florida Panthers score | 2 |
Shot charts, expected goals (xG), Game Score and advanced box scores for this game are available on Hockey Alchemy.
Three Stars by Game Score
Ranked by Game Score, which rolls goals, assists, shot quality, play-driving and penalties into one number — so the best player is chosen by the box score, not by a vote.
| Player | Pos | G | A | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Nikita Kucherov | R | 2 | 0 | 3 | 18:29 | 0.58 | 1.50 |
| 2nd | Anthony Cirelli | C | 0 | 2 | 1 | 17:10 | 0.02 | 1.43 |
| 3rd | Eetu Luostarinen | C | 1 | 0 | 5 | 20:14 | 0.91 | 1.10 |
Scoring Summary
| Time | Team | Goal | Assists | Strength | Score (Tampa Bay Lightning–Florida Panthers) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st 05:37 | FLA | Eetu Luostarinen | Mackie Samoskevich, Evan Rodrigues | 5v5 | 0–1 |
| 1st 13:05 | TBL | Jake Guentzel | Anthony Cirelli, Max Crozier | 5v4 | 1–1 |
| 1st 19:52 | TBL | Pontus Holmberg | Yanni Gourde, Declan Carlile | 5v5 | 2–1 |
| 2nd 02:31 | TBL | Nikita Kucherov | Brayden Point, Gage Goncalves | 5v5 | 3–1 |
| 2nd 07:05 | FLA | Brad Marchand | Sam Bennett, Sam Reinhart | 5v4 | 3–2 |
| 3rd 19:04 | TBL | Nikita Kucherov | Anthony Cirelli | 6v5 | 4–2 |
Team Comparison
| Tampa Bay Lightning | Florida Panthers | |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | 4 | 2 |
| Shots on goal | 25 | 26 |
| Expected goals (xG) | 2.68 | 4.66 |
| High-danger shots | 9 | 14 |
| Corsi % | 40.4% | 59.6% |
| Power play | 0/8 | 1/6 |
| Faceoff % | 48.0% | 52.0% |
| Hits | 32 | 27 |
| Blocks | 17 | 9 |
| Giveaways | 7 | 10 |
| Takeaways | 5 | 3 |
Tampa Bay Lightning Skaters
| Player | Pos | G | A | P | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nikita Kucherov | R | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 18:29 | 0.58 | 1.50 |
| Anthony Cirelli | C | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 17:10 | 0.02 | 1.43 |
| Pontus Holmberg | R | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 13:20 | 0.36 | 0.85 |
| Jake Guentzel | C | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 27:14 | 0.42 | 0.85 |
| Declan Carlile | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 18:32 | 0.00 | 0.84 |
| Brayden Point | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 17:16 | 0.27 | 0.64 |
| Gage Goncalves | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10:52 | 0.04 | 0.59 |
| Max Crozier | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 20:25 | 0.11 | 0.54 |
| Nick Paul | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 14:22 | 0.09 | 0.30 |
| Yanni Gourde | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 15:04 | 0.04 | 0.29 |
| Darren Raddysh | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 25:07 | 0.18 | 0.25 |
| Zemgus Girgensons | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 16:06 | 0.07 | -0.05 |
| Steven Santini | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7:58 | 0.00 | -0.05 |
| Oliver Bjorkstrand | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12:13 | 0.10 | -0.30 |
| Charle-Edouard D'Astous | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 16:42 | 0.00 | -0.55 |
| J.J. Moser | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 22:28 | 0.03 | -0.65 |
| Curtis Douglas | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3:45 | 0.00 | -1.27 |
| Scott Sabourin | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6:32 | 0.00 | -1.90 |
Florida Panthers Skaters
| Player | Pos | G | A | P | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eetu Luostarinen | C | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 20:14 | 0.91 | 1.10 |
| Sam Reinhart | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 24:43 | 0.43 | 0.74 |
| Brad Marchand | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 21:55 | 1.49 | 0.55 |
| Evan Rodrigues | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 16:56 | 0.32 | 0.54 |
| Mackie Samoskevich | R | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 18:14 | 0.49 | 0.49 |
| Niko Mikkola | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16:47 | 0.00 | 0.20 |
| Jesper Boqvist | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7:51 | 0.00 | 0.10 |
| Jeff Petry | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 14:28 | 0.08 | 0.10 |
| Sam Bennett | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 19:19 | 0.28 | 0.04 |
| Anton Lundell | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 20:13 | 0.02 | 0.00 |
| Jack Studnicka | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3:42 | 0.20 | 0.00 |
| Gustav Forsling | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 19:00 | 0.06 | 0.00 |
| Seth Jones | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 25:53 | 0.04 | -0.05 |
| Uvis Balinskis | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9:51 | 0.01 | -0.15 |
| Aaron Ekblad | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20:36 | 0.01 | -0.20 |
| A.J. Greer | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10:12 | 0.09 | -0.25 |
| Carter Verhaeghe | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 14:37 | 0.10 | -0.30 |
| Luke Kunin | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4:39 | 0.01 | -1.07 |
Goaltending
| Goalie | Team | SV | SA | SV% | GSAx | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andrei Vasilevskiy | Tampa Bay Lightning | 24 | 26 | 92.3% | 1.72 | W |
| Sergei Bobrovsky | Florida Panthers | 21 | 24 | 87.5% | -0.95 | L |
Analysis
The Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Florida Panthers 4–2 on Dec 28, 2025.
Florida Panthers generated 4.66 expected goals to Tampa Bay Lightning's 2.68 — Florida Panthers owned the better of the chances but Tampa Bay Lightning took the game, the kind of split that usually means finishing or goaltending decided it.
Nikita Kucherov led all skaters with a Game Score of 1.5 on 2 goals, 3 shots on goal.
Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 24 of 26, worth 1.72 goals saved above expected.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the Tampa Bay Lightning vs Florida Panthers game?
The Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Florida Panthers 4–2 on Dec 28, 2025.
What was the final score?
The final score was Tampa Bay Lightning 4, Florida Panthers 2.
Who was the best player in this game?
By Game Score — a single-number summary of everything a skater did — Nikita Kucherov led all skaters at 1.5, on 2G, 0A and 3 shots on goal.
Which team deserved to win by expected goals?
Florida Panthers generated 4.66 expected goals and Tampa Bay Lightning generated 2.68, so Florida Panthers created the better chances. The scoreboard went the other way, which points to finishing or goaltending.
What were the shot totals?
Tampa Bay Lightning put 25 shots on goal and Florida Panthers put 26. High-danger chances went 9 to 14.
How did the goaltenders play?
Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 24 of 26 (1.72 goals saved above expected); Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 21 of 24 (-0.95 goals saved above expected).