The first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs features 16 teams in eight best-of-7 series, which start Saturday. Today, NHL.com previews the Eastern Conference First Round between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Florida Panthers.
(2A) Tampa Bay Lightning vs. (3A) Florida Panthers
Lightning: 47-26-8, 102 points
Panthers: 47-31-4, 98 points
Season series: TBL: 2-2-0; FLA: 2-2-0
Game 1: Tuesday at Tampa Bay (8:30 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN360, TVAS 2, FDSNSUN, SCRIPPS)
The Battle of Florida is back.
For the fourth time in five years, the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers will meet in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
But this time there's a twist. In 2021 and 2022, the Lightning were the defending Stanley Cup champion; this time the Panthers are. Each time the two teams have faced each other, the winner of the series has gone on to reach the Stanley Cup Final.
The Panthers and the Lightning are potential Stanley Cup finalists this season, coming out of a top-heavy Atlantic Division that will see one very good team make an earlier-than-expected exit.
"I think it's great for hockey in Florida because there's two elite teams," Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. "Either one of them could win the whole thing. And certainly the eyes in Florida and the fans in both cities will be wired right into it. So it's great for hockey."
Last year the Panthers beat the Lightning in five games in the Eastern Conference First Round, before defeating the Boston Bruins, New York Rangers and Edmonton Oilers to win the franchise's first championship.
"We know what they're about and we know the skill level they bring and the intensity they bring," Lightning forward Yanni Gourde said. "We're excited for this challenge. It's going to be a fun series. I'm excited for the playoffs to start."
This has not been the regular season that the Panthers expected, with injuries playing a significant impact in recent weeks. Forward Matthew Tkachuk has not played since sustaining a lower-body injury while playing for the United States at the 4 Nations Face-Off on Feb. 15. The Panthers also have been without defenseman Aaron Ekblad, who was suspended 20 games for violating the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program; he will be eligible to return in Game 3 of the series. Forward Sam Bennett was out from April 5-14 because of an upper-body injury and defenseman Dmitry Kulikov was out from March 16-April 14 because of an upper-body injury.
But getting Tkachuk and Ekblad back will be crucial for the Panthers as they attempt to repeat.
"I think we had a real learning experience this year, going through the grind of a regular season after last year," Maurice said. "We lost some guys for big chunks of time. So it was a grinder for us, but there was lots to learn. We stuck together, cheering for each other. And now we're at the part of the year that everybody's really excited about."
The Lightning have been one of the hotter teams in the second half, starting with an eight-game winning streak from Feb. 4-March 1. They started that day in the second wild card spot in the East, tied in points with the Boston Bruins; they finished the second in the Atlantic, earning home-ice advantage in the first round.
Even in a year of transition, including the departure of forward Steven Stamkos during the offseason via free agency, the Lightning ended up right back where they have been now for eight straight seasons: the playoffs.
"We put ourselves in a position to fight for a Stanley Cup," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. "There are 32 teams in this league and there's only 16 left. We're one of the 16. Every year we get looked at as, 'OK, their time is over,' and every year these guys come back and prove they can do it. It's been amazing to be a part of for over a decade. This group wants to make more memories. ... Let's see what we can do in the playoffs."
Game breakers
Lightning: While the Lightning have the top offense in the NHL at 3.60 goals per game, there's no question which player is above the rest: Nikita Kucherov. The forward surpassed 100 points for the third straight season and fifth time in his 11 NHL seasons, with 121 points (37 goals, 84 assists) in 77 games to lead the NHL. And though he was third on the Lightning in goals, behind Brayden Point's 42 and Jake Guentzel's 41, it's clear that Kucherov remains the engine for Tampa Bay in a season in which he won his second consecutive (and third overall) Art Ross Trophy as the the League's top scorer.
