Tampa Bay Lightning complete sweep against Florida Panthers

Tampa Bay Lightning center Steven Stamkos (91) celebrates his goal against the Florida Panthers with right wing Nikita Kucherov (86) during the second period in Game 3 of an NHL hockey second-round playoff series Sunday, May 22, 2022, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)

Posted: May 23, 2022 / 06:03 PM EDT

Updated: May 24, 2022 / 12:42 PM EDT

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The defending Stanley Cup champions closed out the second round of Stanley Cup playoffs and secured their ticket to the next round on Monday night.

The Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Florida Panthers 2-0 in Game 4, completing a Round 2 sweep. The win puts the Lightning back in the Eastern Conference final for the sixth time in the past eight years.

Pat Maroon and Ondrej Palat each netted a goal at Amalie Arena Monday night to secure the Game 4 win.

The Bolts had previously won the first three games of its Round 2 series against the Panthers.

The first two games of the series between the two Florida teams were played in Sunrise. Tampa Bay won the first game 4-1 and the second 2-1. The team returned home to Amalie Arena Sunday night for Game 3 and won 5-1.

The Bolts will now go on to play the winner of the second-round series between the Carolina Hurricanes and New York Rangers. The Hurricanes currently lead that series 2-1. Game 4 is set for Tuesday night.