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SUNRISE, Fla. — Carter Verhaeghe lifted a backhander just under the crossbar 2:59 into overtime, and the Florida Panthers beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2 for a 2-0 lead in their NHL first-round playoff series. It was the fifth OT winner in Verhaeghe's career, coming on a play where Matthew Tkachuk got the puck to Anton Lundell — who found Verhaeghe. He waited for Tampa Bay goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy to commit, then put the puck over him to end it. Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 21 shots, including some highlight-reel saves. Sam Bennett and Vladimir Tarasenko also scored for Florida. Brayden Point and Steven Stamkos had goals for Tampa Bay.
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