Panthers' Nate Schmidt: Tallies twice in Game 1 win

Schmidt scored two goals on three shots and added two hits in Tuesday's 6-2 win over the Lightning in Game 1.

Schmidt's first tally, at 4:41 of the second period, was the game-winner. He added a power-play goal in the third to provide more insurance for the Panthers. The 33-year-old blueliner had all of five goals and 19 points over 80 regular-season outings while mainly playing in a bottom-four role. Aaron Ekblad (suspension) has one game left before he can return, at which point Schmidt or Uvis Balinskis is likely to exit the lineup, though Schmidt certainly helped his own cause with this two-goal effort.