After facing disciplinary action from Major League Soccer, Lionel Messi leads Inter Miami to the CONCACAF Champions Cup Round of 16. Meanwhile, Miami quarterback and No. 1 overall pick candidate Cam Ward’s decision to participate in the upcoming NFL combine has generated significant buzz. Here are the biggest Miami sports storylines you need to know this week.
Aleksander Barkov scored twice in the second period, Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 28 shots, and the Florida Panthers beat their in-state rival Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 on Monday night.
The defending Stanley Cup champion Panthers won their fourth straight game, while the Lightning had their eight-game winning streak snapped. Tampa Bay hadn't lost a game since Feb. 1.
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WATCH HEREBrayden Point got the Lightning on the board with his team-leading 32nd goal of the season early in the third. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 27 saves.
The Panthers lead the regular-season series 2-1. Tampa Bay will host the final meeting of the regular season on April 15.
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Veteran defenseman Seth Jones made his Panthers debut after being acquired over the weekend in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks and nearly scored a goal early in the second. Vasilevskiy was able to make the save, but the play drew cheers from the crowd of Panthers fans.
Takeaways
Lightning: Entered with the best power play unit on the road this season (32.1%) but went 0 for 6 on Monday night, even after Florida's Eetu Luostarinen drew a four-minute double minor for high-sticking against Jake Guentzel in the second period.
Sports
Panthers: Bobrovsky, coming off a 23-save performance in a 3-0 win over Calgary, has had an excellent two-game stretch. He withstood a series of Lightning shots at the end of the second and beginning of the third before giving up the goal to Point.
Key moment
Anthony Cirelli nearly tied the game for the Lightning during a third-period power play, but his shot hit the top of the crossbar and bounced out.
Key stat
The Panthers spent more than 10 minutes on the penalty kill and did not allow a power-play goal.
Up next
Tampa Bay hosts Columbus on Tuesday, and the Panthers host Columbus on Thursday.
