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Watch: Panthers stun Lightning with two goals in 11 seconds
Florida Panthers defenseman Seth Jones (3) celebrates with teammates after scoring against the Tampa Bay Lightning during the third period in Game 4 of the first round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amerant Bank Arena. Rich Storry-Imagn Images

Watch: Panthers stun Lightning with two goals in 11 seconds to take 3-1 series lead

By Eric Smithling  |  Last updated Apr 28, 2025 10:15 PM ET

In a flash, the Tampa Bay Lightning's 2-1 Game 4 lead over the Florida Panthers turned into a 3-2 deficit.

Florida rattled Tampa Bay with two goals in quick succession late in the third period to take a one-goal lead. Panthers forward Carter Verhaeghe added an empty-netter with 1:40 remaining to seal the come-from-behind win and give his squad a 3-1 series advantage.

The wild sequence began when Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad scored off a rebound to tie the game at two, 16 minutes and 13 seconds into the period.

Defenseman Seth Jones followed that goal 11 seconds later with another to give Florida a stunning late lead. His shot bounced past Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy and pushed Tampa Bay to the brink of elimination.

Per the ESPN broadcast, it was the fastest two goals in Panthers playoff history. Incredibly, it also matched the Lightning, who scored two goals in 11 seconds during the second period to take the lead. 

Game 5 is on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ET. With a win, the Panthers can advance to the East semifinals, where they'll play the winner of the Maple Leafs-Senators first-round series, which Toronto currently leads 3-1.

Eric Smithling
Twitter/X Muck Rack

Eric Smithling is a writer based in New Orleans, LA, whose byline also appears on Athlon Sports. He has been with Yardbarker since September 2022, primarily covering the NFL and college football, but also the NBA, WNBA, men’s and women’s college basketball, NHL, tennis and golf. He holds a film studies degree from the University of New Orleans

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