"Refs need to be investigated" - NHL fans react to Tampa Bay Lightning elimination from Stanley Cup playoffs after Game 5 loss to Panthers

NHL fans online reacted to the Tampa Bay Lightning being eliminated by the Florida Panthers after a 6-1 defeat in Game 5 on Monday. The Panthers won the series 4-1.

The Florida Panthers had a dominant performance in Round 1, completely controlling the "Battle of Florida" and defeating their rivals convincingly.

On the other hand, the Lightning faced another disappointing first-round exit, managing to secure only one win in the series.

Tampa Bay Lightning seemed to score first at 13:00 of the first period with Anthony Cirelli's shot from the shot, but Florida challenged for goalie interference successfully. The Bolts were denied another goal in the second period when Mikhail Sergachev scored a one-timer.

Some fans appeared disappointed with the referees' decision against the Tampa Bay Lightning, as they took to X to express their opinions.

One fan said:

"Refs need to be investigated I’m dead ass serious"

Another chimed in:

Both should have counted - Bob put himself out of position on #1 reaching for the puck and then had no idea where the puck was on #2 regardless of contact.

"Good season ain’t mad abt it every run comes to an end eventually. We’ll be back soon !!," One X user reflected on the defeat"

Here are some of the other top reactions on X:

"There's no way those calls didn't affect the players. What's the point in going hard to the net if they'll just call interference anyway," another wrote

"The boys deserved better, proud of them. See you opening night," One tweeted

Referees must be like “Cha-Ching," said another.

How Florida Panthers downed Tampa Bay Lightning

After a goalless first period, Carter Verhaeghe opened the scoring sheet for the Panthers 45 seconds into the second period. At 12:38, Aleksander Barkov scored a short-handed goal off Aaron Ekbald's assist to extend the Panthers lead to 2-0.

Just over a minute later, Victor Hedman scored for the Tampa Bay Lightning to make it 2-1 before heading into the third period. The Florida Panthers continued their dominance and scored four more goals in the second half of the third period.

At 11:06, Barkov scored his second of the night and gave the Panthers a 3-1 cushion. Three minutes later, Evan Rodrigues made it 4-1 before two empty net goals from Verhaeghe and Niko Mikkola secured a 6-1 win and the first-round series for the Florida Panthers.

Barkov accumulated two goals and ended the night with three points. Verhaeghe also ended the night with three points, while Mikkola and Matthew Tkachuk picked up two points apiece in the matchup.

Vezina Trophy finalist Sergei Bobrovsky made 31 saves and posted a .969 SV% in the contest. Panthers face the winner of the Boston Bruins versus Toronto Maple Leafs series in Round 2. The Bruins lead the Leafs 3-1.