TAMPA, Fla. — Andrei Vasilevskiy had 49 saves and the Tampa Bay Lightning completed a four-game sweep of the Florida Panthers on Monday night with a 2-0 victory that sends the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions back to the Eastern Conference final for the sixth time in eight years.
Pat Maroon and Ondrej Palat scored, and Vasilevskiy won his sixth straight playoff game, a streak that began with the Lightning facing a 3-2 series deficit to Toronto in the opening round.
The high-scoring Panthers averaged a NHL-best 4.11 goals while compiling the league's best record during the regular season, but were limited to just three goals in four games against the Lightning.
Vasilevskiy got his sixth shutout in his last seven series-clinching wins.