TAMPA, Fla. >> Nate Schmidt scored his third goal in two games, Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 19 shots and the Florida Panthers beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-0 on Thursday night to take a 2-0 lead in the first-round playoff series.

Sam Bennett added an empty-netter with 4 seconds left. Bobrovsky got his fourth career playoff shutout, and his first since Game 1 of last year’s Stanley Cup final against Edmonton.

Andrei Vasilevskiy finished with 21 saves for Tampa Bay.

Game 3 of the best-of-seven series will be Saturday at Sunrise.

Schmidt, who scored twice in Game 1, got the Panthers on the scoreboard 4:15 into the game following an icing call against Tampa Bay. Aleksander Barkov won the faceoff clean back to Sam Reinhart who passed it over to Schmidt for a one-timer from the right circle that beat Vasilevskiy.

The goal came after Tampa Bay misfired on two open looks when Jake Guentzel was alone at the post and missed the net 53 seconds in, then Brayden Point was open between the hashmarks and put a backhand chance wide at 1:52.

The Lightning, who finished fifth in the league on the power play in the regular season, went 0 for 5 and were held to just two shots on goal on the advantages.

Barkov left the game midway through the third period after a hit from Brandon Hagel, who received a five-minute major for interference on the play at 9:51. Barkov did not return.

Benoit scores in OT to give the Maple Leafs a 3-2 win over the Senators and a 3-0 series lead

OTTAWA, Ontario >>Simon Benoit scored on a slap shot from the point at 1:19 of overtime to give the Toronto Maple Leafs a 3-2 victory over the Ottawa Senators and a 3-0 lead in the first-round series.

Auston Matthews won a faceoff back to Benoit at the left point, and the defenseman fired a low shot through traffic that beat goalie Linus Ullmark to far post.

Toronto also won 3-2 in overtime — on Max Domi’s early goal — at home Tuesday night. Game 4 is Saturday night in Ottawa.

Matthews and Matthew Knies also scored for Toronto, and Anthony Stolarz made 18 saves.

Brady Tkachuk and Claude Giroux scored for Ottawa. Ullmark stopped 17 shots.

Tkachuk tied it at 2 for Ottawa with 8:38 left in regulation. On a rush, he beat Stolarz with a low wrist shot from the high slot.

Matthews gave Toronto a 2-1 lead 32 seconds into the third, scoring from close range off Mitch Marner’s pass from behind the goal.

The teams traded power-play goals in the second period. Giroux opened the scoring for Ottawa at 1:38, and Knies tied it at 8:31.