SUNRISE, Fla. — In an intense matchup on Monday night, the Tampa Bay Lightning triumphed over the Florida Panthers with a decisive score of 4-0, despite Nikita Kucherov being ejected in the first period for kneeing Matthew Tkachuk.

Kucherov opened the scoring before the incident, while Jake Guentzel and Mitchell Chaffee also contributed goals for Tampa Bay, marking the team’s fifth victory in their last six games. Brandon Hagel capped off the scoring with an empty-net goal, while Anthony Cirelli and Victor Hedman each delivered two assists.

Goaltender Jonas Johansson showcased an impressive performance with 36 saves, achieving his first shutout of the season and the fourth of his career. Florida, who entered the game riding a four-game winning streak that included a 4-2 victory over Tampa Bay just a day prior, struggled to find their rhythm throughout the contest.

The game took a serious turn late in the first period when Tkachuk was injured after Kucherov collided with his right leg. Following the hit, Kucherov received a five-minute major penalty along with a game misconduct, while Tkachuk was assisted off the ice and made a quick recovery to return a few minutes into the second period.

Florida’s goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 25 shots, but his team ran into trouble with their power play, failing to capitalize on four opportunities.

One significant moment in the game occurred when Chaffee netted his seventh goal of the season at 16:24 in the first period, pushing the Lightning ahead 3-0. This marked Tampa Bay’s ninth power-play goal in December and accumulated their total to 26 for the season.

Notably, the game was marked by a series of penalties, as the Lightning were handed nine penalties totaling 37 minutes, while the Panthers received nine penalties for 26 minutes.

Looking ahead, both teams are set to return to the ice on Saturday following the league’s holiday break, with the Panthers slated to host the Montreal Canadiens and the Lightning set to take on the New York Rangers.