Matthew Tkachuk had two power-play goals and an assist in his first game after a two-month absence and the Florida Panthers opened defense of their Stanley Cup title with a 6-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning in the opener of the teams’ first-round playoff series.

Nate Schmidt's early goal held up as the winner and goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky posted the shutout as the visiting Florida Panthers claimed a 2-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday in their Eastern Conference first-round series.