Aleksander Barkov scored twice in the second period, Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 28 shots, and the Florida Panthers beat their in-state rival Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 on Monday night.

The defending champion Panthers lead the regular-season series 2-1 before Tampa Bay — which hadn’t lost since Feb. 1 — hosts the final meeting on April 15.

The Panthers captain has become part of the South Florida landscape over his 12 seasons. He’s also helped turn a floundering franchise into a champion.

Florida Panthers captain Sasha Barkov scored a pair of goals and Seth Jones made an immediate impact in his debut in a 2-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday. Florida snapped Tampa Bay’s eight-game winning streak — while winning its fourth straight.

Barkov scored both of Florida's goals and took four shots on net in Monday's 2-1 win over Tampa Bay. Barkov cashed in both his goals in the second period. The first of his two tallies was unassisted before he scored the latter on a power play.

Barkov had two assists and added two hits in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Predators. Barkov helped out on Sam Bennett's power-play goal early in the first period and Gustav Forsling's even-strength tally in the third.

Read the recent NHL news and rumors about Aleksander Barkov for fantasy hockey. Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov found the back of the net

Captain Aleksander Barkov scored both Panthers’ goals on Monday’s victory against the Lightning, extending the team’s win streak to four games.