The Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning series intensified on Saturday after a controversial hit involving Panthers' Matthew Tkachuk and Lightning's Jake Guentzel during Game 3. The Lightning earned a 5-1 victory at Amerant Bank Arena to cut Florida’s series lead to 2–1, but the late-game incident drew much of the postgame attention.

The 5-1 victory was pivotal for the Lightning's playoff hopes, as they were in danger of falling behind 3-0 in the Battle of Florida.At the center of the Lightning and Panthers contest was Tampa Bay forward Jake Guentzel.