The Florida Panthers picked up a massive win against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 4. With this, the Panthers extended their series lead to 3-1 and now need only one more victory to advance to the second round.
The Panthers' win was undoubtedly well-earned, as the reigning Stanley Cup champions scored three unanswered goals late in the third to defeat the Lightning by a 4-2 final score. This included goals from Panthers defensemen Aaron Ekblad and Seth Jones just 11 seconds apart with less than four minutes remaining in the contest.
The Panthers worked incredibly hard to pick up this impressive comeback win, and veteran forward Brad Marchand dove into why it was possible.
"Belief is a dangerous thing, and we had that," Marchand said. "You could feel it. I don't think that we're sitting there on the bench thinking we're going back to two-two. You know, we believe that we can make a play, and you know, you're one shot away at that time."
— x - Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) April 29, 2025
Marchand then added:
"It's a different ballgame if it's 5-1 with two minutes left, but one-goal game, crazy things happen, and we've all went been through it. You know, teams that have gone far and had success, you learn from these moments, and you learn in the regular season. You build the belief in your structure and what you have. Doesn't mean it's going to happen go our way, but it did tonight."
This is a great message from Marchand, and one that the Panthers should keep following as the post-season continues. Instead of losing hope when they were losing, the Panthers stayed positive and secured a major win in Game 4 because of it.
Machand had a solid performance for the Panthers in this matchup, too, as he recorded the primary assist on Anton Lundell's game-opening goal. Panthers head coach Paul Maurice also shouted out Marchand's positivity and leadership following the matchup, so No. 63's presence is undoubtedly being felt.
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Panthers' Nate Schmidt Ties NHL Record With Hot Playoff StartThe Florida Panthers have had a fantastic start to the 2025 NHL playoffs. After defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning by a 6-2 final score in Game 1, the Panthers followed that up with a hard-fought 2-0 win over the Bolts in Game 2. With this, they are now heading back home for Games 3 and 4 with a 2-0 series lead.