Tampa Bay controlled most of the tempo of the first period, outskating, outhitting and outcontrolling the puck.
Both teams put 10 shots on goal, but even though there were two power play opportunities, the Cats couldn’t really get set up to any advantage, managing only two shots during the composite four minute man-advantage.
Martin St. Louis scored his 300th goal in a Tampa Bay uniform with assists from Brett Connelly and Brett Clark to put the Bolts on top just two minutes into the game.
The Panthers showed a lot of inability to control the puck on the power play, with Ed Jovanovski and Marco Sturm both misplaying it during the second opportunity.
Garon took home the games second star last night, and is well on his way to another, blanking the Cats thus far. Jacob Markstrom has made 9 of a possible 10 saves through the first period.