Jack Finley picked a perfect moment for his first NHL goal. The 22-year-old Tampa Bay Lightning forward broke a 1–1 tie early in the third period, sparking the Lightning to a 3–1 win over the Florida Panthers on Saturday night in a matchup that, as usual, brought plenty of intensity but far fewer fireworks than their infamous preseason meeting.

Finley’s milestone goal came 4:09 into the third. After a loose puck skittered toward the Panthers’ blue line, Finley pounced, turned up the ice, and raced in uncontested on Sergei Bobrovsky. His finish to the blocker side stood as the game-winner and sent the Lightning (now 8-2-0 in their last 10 and 5-2-2 on the road) on their way to another impressive victory.

Emil Lilleberg got things started for Tampa Bay with a first-period goal, giving the Lightning an early lead in a chippy but controlled game between two rivals known for bad blood. Florida answered midway through the second when Brad Marchand buried a power-play tally — his team-leading 12th goal of the season — to tie the game at 1–1.

Once Finley restored the Lightning lead in the third, Andrei Vasilevskiy took care of the rest. The Tampa Bay star stopped 23 shots, looking sharp and steady throughout, including several key stops in the final minutes as Florida pushed for an equalizer.

Zemgus Girgensons sealed the win with an empty-net goal with 50.3 seconds remaining.

Sergei Bobrovsky made 17 saves for the Panthers, who saw their two-game winning streak snapped. Florida generated chances in stretches but never controlled long segments of play, and their power play — aside from Marchand’s tying goal — struggled to solve Vasilevskiy.

Saturday’s matchup marked the first meeting between the teams since their wild Oct. 4 preseason game that featured more than 300 combined penalty minutes and numerous ejections. While this one had its share of scrums and post-whistle jawing, the chaos never boiled over.

Just 14 penalties were issued — 13 minor penalties and one four-minute double minor assessed to Tampa Bay in the third period. No majors, no fights, and no mass exodus to the locker room.

In short, still a rivalry game, but not a repeat of the preseason spectacle. Lightning: Host the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday night. Panthers: Host those same Canucks on Monday night.

Tampa Bay heads home with momentum and another strong road win, while Florida looks to regroup quickly against one of the NHL’s top teams.