In last year's playoffs, it was Florida Village already in the first round of the quarterfinals.
Then Tampa Bay started with two straight wins and won by a total of 4-2 in the game round.
Whether it repeats the feat this year remains to be seen, but it can be stated that the champion team at least started the quarter-final series convincingly.
The home team Florida took the lead 1-0 in the first period, Tampa Bay equalized to 1-1 in the second.
In the third, however, the guests withdrew.
2-1 came through Pierre-Edouard Bellemare early in the period.
Then Nikita Kutjerov and Corey Perry filled in with their respective goals.
Victor Hedman is noted for an assist.
Andrei Vasilevsky saved 34 shots in the Tampa cage, and after the match was hailed both by his teammates and coaches.
-He makes 100 percent effort every game and everyone just tries to take his energy and use it in their own game, says Kucherov about his goalkeeper.
-He is a leader ... he is our best player, he continues.
-For me, that's what great goalkeepers do - they give you a chance to win a hockey match and that's what our guy did again tonight, says coach Jon Cooper about the goalkeeping effort.
The teams will meet next time the night before Friday, Swedish time.
Even then, Florida has a home ground.
MORE ICE HOCKEY: Garpenlöv on NHL reinforcements for World Cup (May 17)
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Carl Grundström.
Photo: Bildbyrån