Panthers knew they needed to challenge Lightning's Vasilevskiy. They succeeded in Game 1 win

""Against someone like that, you have to make it as difficult as you can. You have to get in his eyes. You have to get in his face.""

""He's so talented, so you have to be in front of him. You have to put a lot of shots up. You have to be around it - rebounds, tips, all that fun stuff.""

In their first-round playoff matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Florida Panthers focused on overcoming the challenge presented by star goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy. In Game 1, they achieved this by aggressively targeting the net, resulting in a 6-2 victory. Panthers players emphasized the importance of getting in Vasilevskiy's line of sight and capitalizing on rebounds and deflections. Forward Sam Reinhart and winger Matthew Tkachuk highlighted their gritty approach, which paid off with early goals and a commanding performance to seize the series lead.

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