Sunrise, FL – The battle in Florida is furious.
For the fourth time in the last five seasons, the Florida Panthers will face the Stanley Cup playoffs against cross-state rival Tampa Bay Lightning.
Pursuing a third straight appearance in the final, the Panthers will advance across the crocodile road in the first two games of Round 1, kicking off the series at Amalie Arena on Tuesday.
“We know them really well, and they know us really well,” says Alexander Barkov’s big tain of the highly anticipated series. “There’s a lot of competition between us, and it gets bigger and bigger every year.”
Despite enduring the long back-to-back playoff run grind, there was no Stanley Cup hangover in South Florida for the defending champions as the Panthers finished the 2024-25 regular season with a fourth point (T-98) and a third victory (T-47) in franchise history.
Looking for a third cup in the last six years (2020, 2021), the Lightning finished six points in the season from the top spot in the Atlantic division, winning the second-highest home in the Eastern Conference (29).
After the Lightning won the lead playoff series from the first two heads in 2021 and 2022, the Panthers scored red in their first victory, starting a run up to the Cup in 2024.
“Everyone is very competitive at this stage,” Sam Reinhart said. “It’s always a fight. It’s always a shatter that gets out of it. That’s why we’re here against one of our biggest rivals that we see every year.”
Everything you need to know before Round 1 begins.
Basics
Panthers (3a): 47-31-4, 98 points
Lightning (2a): 47-27-8, 102 points
Season Series: FLA: 2-2-0 | TBL: 2-2-0
Violation: FLA: 3.00 gf/gp (15th); 23.5%pp (13th) | TBL: 3.56 gf/gp (1st); 25.9%pp (5th)
Defense: FLA: 2.72 ga/gp (7th); 80.7% PK (10th) | TBL: 2.63 GA/GP (4th); 81.6% PK (6th)
Advanced Numbers (5 vs. 5)
Panthers: 55.51 cf% (2nd), 52.40 gf% (10th), 55.04 xgf% (2nd), 53.03 Hdcf% (7th)
Lightning: 50.39 cf% (13th), 56.36 gf% (3rd), 50.94 xgf% (13th), 53.85 HDCF% (4th)
Top scorer
Panthers: Sam Reinhart (39 goals, 81 points), Alexander Barkov (20 goals, 71 points), Matthew Tokachuk (22 goals, 57 points), Carter Wehege (20 goals, 53 points), Sam Bennett (25 goals, 51 points)
Lightning: Nikita Kuchelov (37 goals, 121 points), Brandon Hagel (35 goals, 90 points), Braden Point (42 goals, 82 points), Jake Gunzel (41 goals, 80 points), Victor Headman (15 goals, 66 points),
Breakdown: There are no shortages of game breakers on either side. For the Panthers, Reinhardt and Barkov are two of the best two-way forwards in the league, producing with clips that go beyond the points per game, shutting down the top line of opposing teams. Hoping to return from LTIR, Tkachuk tallied 46 points and six games won goals in the Panthers’ final two postseasons. In Tampa Bay, Kuchelov secured his third Art Rostrophy (most points in the NHL during the regular season) with a whopping 121 points. Guentzel, the new face of this year’s lightning, is perfect for a core that doesn’t miss out on the beat. Finding the back of the net 41 times, Gunter led one of the league’s most dangerous power plays, scoring 17 goals in man advantage.
Goalkeeper Match Up
Panthers: Sergei Bobrovsky (33-19-2, 2.44 GAA, .906 SV%), Vitek Vanecek (5-14-4, 3.62 GAA, .884 SV%)
Lightning: Andrei Vasilevskiy (38-20-5, 2.18 GAA, .921 SV%), Jonas Johansson (9-6-3, 3.13 GAA, .895 SV%)
Breakdown: One of the best goalkeeper matchups in the playoffs this year and one of the best matchups to have a crease in the last decade, Bobrovsky and Vasilevsky know how to run their teams deeper. A key factor in the Panthers’ consecutive trips to the Finals, Bobrovsky has discovered another level of the pack that will stop the past two postponsons. “Bob-by,” who owns a record of 28-14-0 over the span, averaged .911 save rate and a target of 2.53. After what is considered a down year for Vasilevskiy during the 2023-24 season, Lightning Netminder was heading to the top of the league charts again this season. His 2.18 goal – average was the best career and his .921 save percentage ranked fourth in the NHL.
X Factor
Panthers: Boasting a hardened veteran postseason experience, Anton Randell has won 54 playoff games at just 23 years old. The Finnish Centre, which posted the team’s fourth must-point (17) on the way to win the Cup last summer, played to a career-high 45 points this season. A key piece of the penalty kill, Randell recorded the club’s third few minutes in a short hand (161:01), snapping the draw at a 53.9% rating over the past two seasons. When the Panthers need to lock it down, Randell is capable of doing it like anyone else.
Lightning: Tampa Bay may not have faster stocks. Having improved every year since joining the team during the 2021-22 season, Brandon Hagel ranked second in the star-studded Lightning. In Winger’s career year, Hagel set new career highs with goals (35), assists (55), points (90), and +/- rating (+33). As dangerous as Lightning has a man’s advantage, Hagel’s influence was 5-for-5, setting up an NHL record to net most goals without a power play goal.
Regular season
This was a split decision during the regular season, with each team winning twice.
Barkov led the Panthers with three points in the season series, with Reinhard and Aaron Eckbrad each scoring two points. Two of the lightning core pieces led the way as Point and Hedman each scored team high five points.
At the first meeting on December 22nd, a short-handed goal by AJ Greer and Eetu Luostarinen defeated the Panthers 4-2. The next day, the day after December 23rd, Johansson saved 36 with a 4-0 shutout due to lightning.
Barkov, who scored twice, won the Panthers 2-1 on March 3rd. We conclude the regular season.
“It’s a beautiful slate, especially during this time of year,” Reinhart said. “It’s an absolute battle as soon as Round 1 begins and you can actually go in either direction, so you’re going to take one day at a time and are excited about Game 1.”
Round 1 Schedule
Game 1 – Tuesday, April 22nd | Tampa Bay Lightning’s Florida Panthers | 8:30pm ET | Amalie Arena | Scripps Sports, Panthersplus.tv, ESPN, SN360, TVAS 2
Game 2 – Thursday, April 24th | Tampa Bay Lightning’s Florida Panthers | 6:30pm ET | Amalie Arena | Scripps Sports, Panthersplus.tv, TBS, TRUTV, MAX, SN360, TVAS 2
Game 3 – Saturday, April 26th | Florida Panthers vs Tampa Bay Lightning | 1pm ET | Amerant Bank Arena | Scripps Sports, Panthersplus.tv, TBS, trutv, max, sn, tvs
Game 4 – Monday, April 28th | Florida Panthers vs Tampa Bay Lightning | Time tbd | Amerant Bank Arena | TV TBD
*Game 5 – Wednesday, April 30th | Tampa Bay Lightning’s Florida Panthers | Time tbd | Amary Arena | TV TBD
*Game 6 – Friday, May 2nd | Florida Panthers vs Tampa Bay Lightning | Time tbd | Amerant Bank Arena | TV TBD
*Game 7 – Sunday May 4th | Florida Panthers in Tampa Bay Lightning | Time tbd | Amary Arena | TV TBD
Important Quotes
“We’re going to face adversity. Whether it’s a game or a period, it can’t work. This is a fairly experienced group. We can deal with those situations and deal with them.” – Sam Bennett
“Systemically, the cores are very similar on both teams. We are not strangers to each other. We know exactly how each plays.” – Sam Reinhart
“All the games and playoffs against them are all the rage overall.” – Alexander Barkov
“It’s a huge rival, and they’re the best series that are part of it. The emotions are high, the strength goes through the roof, and obviously there’s a lot of history there.” – Brad Merchand
“I’ve always watched this series and I can’t wait to be a part of it because it’s cool to be part of it.” – Mackie Samoskevich
“You can win a series with PK or PP. You need to stay away from the box.” – Nico Mikkora
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